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ROCHESTER - Arthur Kerr of Rochester kiddingly calls them the Rochester Elves instead of the Rochester Elks, because here at Christmastime they've given him what he most needs to make his new home in Rochester complete.
"They gave me everything," the 64-year-old disabled veteran said on Wednesday. "Sheets, pillows, coffeemaker, microwave, a dust pan and broom, boxes of stuff.
"I call them my little Santa Claus elves. 'You guys aren't Elks,' I said to them. You're Elves!"
Kerr formerly lived in Nashua where a landlady discounted his rent in exchange for maintenance chores and minor repairs around the apartment house.
When she died he was evicted and went to Nashua VA transitional housing. Shortly thereafter he applied for housing assistance through HUD and Southern New Hampshire Housing, which found him an apartment in an elderly housing complex in Rochester.
That's when the Rochester Elks took over, with their Veterans Welcome Home Kit Program.
"'So long as there are veterans, the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks will never forget them' is the official Elks pledge," Don Chesnel of the Elks said on Monday. "Most veterans in this program move into their homes with a need for various household items and small appliances. Elks help veterans establish their homes by building Welcome Home Kits."
Thousands of Elks volunteers give generously of their time, energy and resources to serve veterans and military members each day to ensure that pledge is not an idle one, Chesnel added.
Kerr said when he was in transitional housing in Nashua, the Elks there also made regular appearances, offering vets in need winter coats, and doing free barbecues throughout the year.
Kerr said he is now looking forward to the holidays in his freshly painted and newly renovated and applianced one-bedroom apartment.
"I always appreciated it and needed their generosity," Kerr said. "They have been so helpful."
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