Rochester Elks Lodge delivers donations of winter coats, socks to city shelter

From left, Nicole Clark, Home for Now Resource Advocate and Georgette Verhelle, Grants Coordinator and Esteemed Lecturing Knight, for Rochester Elks Lodge #1393 (Courtesy photo)

ROCHESTER - The Rochester Elks Lodge #1393 recently held a coat drive for the "Home For Now" shelter on Washington Street.

They will continue regular donations for the rest of February,

Their first contribution as part of the drive was on Friday 6 when they donated two large boxes of coats along with other warm clothing to help families of the "Home For Now" shelter keep warm for the remainder of the winter.

In addition to the coats, Rochester Elks Lodge donated several dozen Bombas socks to "Home For Now."

The donation was made possible by Copper Cannon Camp, which is the New Hampshire State Elks Association's state project.

Located in Bethlehem, Copper Cannon offers tuition-free camping experiences to children who qualify for the free/reduced meal plan due to the family's income. Copper Cannon is also a repository for Bombas socks and shares these socks with Elk Lodges across the state to share with their local communities.

The "Home For Now" shelter is a year-round shelter that provides safe sheltering and programming to homeless community members and families. They have 10 bedrooms with a total of 32 beds and 1 emergency overnight folding bed. Each client/family is required to meet with their in-house case manager at least one hour per week. They help the clients get state benefits, SSI/SSDI, food, clothing, housing, etc. In addition, they also offer case management, help finding jobs, resume assistance and interview skills.

For more information about the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks go online to elks.org

or contact the Rochester Elks Lodge Secretary, Norm Gervais at (603) 332-9700 ext. 2 or email at sec1393@metrocast.net