Hamilton Elks #93 Awarded $10,000 Elks National Foundation Impact Grant To Help Seniors In Their Community

Impact Grants are competitive, $10,000 grants awarded to Lodges who ultimately understand a problem in their community, have a unique idea about how to solve it, and are ready with the volunteer power to get it done.

220 lodges submitted an idea.
40 lodges were invited to apply.
Only 9 lodges were selected.

First Ohio lodge to receive the Impact Grant since 2017.

With this grant, we will be working with the Butler County Adult Protective Services in Butler County focusing on food insecurity for senior citizens. Federal anti-hunger aid in Ohio was slashed by over 1.2 billion dollars in 2023, working families and older adults have seen the biggest cuts.

Senior citizens in our community have been affected by the loss of the Supplemental COVID SNAP benefit funds in February 2023. This reduced the allotment of food per household by $172 (Or $86 per person.) An adult age 60 or older previously received a $281 monthly food allowance now they only receive $258. With the reduction in benefits and coping with the highest food inflation since 1979, many seniors' nutritional needs are not being met.

We have a senior community of about 400 to 500 that fall below the poverty level and receive assistance from Butler County Job and Family Services. These seniors have limited income and food supply issues, and some are home-bound. Our goal is to help our seniors in our immediate

community and service their needs to the best of our ability. Butler County Adult Protective Services will provide us with a list of senior citizens as well as which perishable and non-perishable goods are needed. Every month our members will shop for the food and then bring it back to the lodge to be boxed and labeled. We will then deliver the boxes to the homes of the senior citizens.