Owego Elks Lodge announces Fall Harvest Campaign

Last year the Owego Elks Lodge 1039 donated the equivalent of $198,000 to the community through use of their facility, volunteer hours, and cash donations. This included 4,700 volunteer hours by Elks members and 1,900 additional hours by Elks family and friends at the sponsored events.  

This year because of the restrictions imposed by the pandemic, the Owego Elks Lodge has not been able to provide the support as they normally would.  Many of the activities that they fund or provide facilities for have been cancelled.  

At the same time, they recognize that the continued restrictions and job losses have created a significant impact on the local food banks and are stepping up and asking the rest of our community to join them to support the local food banks through their Fall Harvest Campaign.  

The Owego Elks will be collecting cash or food donations for Food Banks in Tioga County and will make a matching donation up to a total of $5,000. Donations will be evenly distributed between Tioga Rural Ministry, the Open Door Mission, and Catholic Charities Food Banks.  

Donations will be collected from Nov. 1-15 and can be mailed to the Owego Elks Lodge, 1039 P.O. Box 6, Owego, N.Y., or they can be dropped off at the Owego Elks Lodge at 223 Front St. in Owego on Wednesday or Friday night from 5-7 p.m., or at the Owego Elks Emporium on Sunday, Nov. 1 or Nov. 15, from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. A confirmation of gift receipt will be sent if a name and email are included with the donation.

All monies collected will be distributed to the Food Banks along with a matching grant of up to $5,000 from the Owego Elks Lodge 1039.  

The Lodge regularly supports local children’s organizations such as the Boy and Girl Scouts, the Boys and Girls Club, and Camp Ahwaga.  

The Elks supports children of all ages from dictionaries for third graders, Little League teams, Special Olympics, and Post Prom Chem-free parties.  

They also support youth through community organizations like Big Brothers / Big Sisters, the New York State Sheriff’s Kids Camp, and the Girl’s Youth Leadership program.  They are also a resource for other non-profit agencies that use their facilities for free; groups like the Red Cross, the United Way, the Rotary Club, the Kiwanis Club, and EMS and Fire Departments throughout the county.