Submitted photos

Some of the volunteers who helped assemble and deliver Burns Elks Lodge’s Christmas baskets. 

Continuing an annual tradition of giving back to the community, Burns Elks Lodge No. 1680 delivered Christmas baskets on Dec. 23 to individuals and families in the Burns-Hines community.

Going strong for more than 40 years, the Burns Elks Lodge’s annual Christmas Basket program gets under way the day after Thanksgiving. This is when the lodge begins collecting names of families and individuals who would benefit from receiving a Christmas basket. Names are accepted up to the date that the baskets are delivered. If there are enough donations to make additional Christmas baskets, the Elks will continue to take names past the initial delivery date.

The annual cost of this service project is upwards of $10,000. The project is funded through donations received from local Elks members as well as non-members and businesses in the community. A grant through the Elks National Foundation is also applied each year, which helps immensely with project funding.

In additional to financial contributions, the success of the project is contingent upon the 30-plus volunteers (primarily Elks members and their spouses) who assist with the numerous tasks necessary to prepare and deliver the baskets.

For example, some volunteers help by picking up canned goods donated by Hines Middle School (HMS). Every year, the HMS Leadership class hosts a canned food drive to collect food items to be donated to the Burns Elks Lodge specifically for the Christmas baskets.

Volunteers also help by sorting donations so that a variety of food items can be placed in each basket. They also help fill the baskets, loading them up with canned and boxed goods, fresh meats, as well as gift cards that recipients can use to purchase additional groceries locally.

In the past, the baskets were primarily filled with fixings for a traditional Christmas dinner. However, over the years, the Elks expanded the baskets to include items that can be used to make numerous meals.

Without this program, some families and individuals in our community would not have the means to celebrate Christmas to the fullest.

Please join us in recognizing the Burns Elks Lodge and all of the volunteers who work to ensure the success of the Christmas Basket program every year.

The Christmas Basket program is the Burns Elks Lodge’s second-largest service project. Their largest service project is the “Chuckwagon,” which offers a free meal to anybody, whether they live in the Burns-Hines community or not. The Chuckwagon is held the fourth Sunday of every month from 3p.m. to 4:30 p.m. at the Burns Elks Lodge.