Keyport-Matawan Elks Helps Our Veterans

Over Veteran's Day weekend, the Keyport-Matawan Elks members fundraised outside their lodge to raise the money for their annual Veteran's Christmas Dinner. Each year the lodge has the local VA hospital bring around 30 veterans to the lodge for a nice home cooked dinner. Many of the lodge members come down and help out cooking, serving, and sit down with our veterans and have conversations. After dinner, it's time for games as they play bingo for prizes to bring back with them. After bingo, here comes Santa with lots of presents for our veterans. The night ends with a nice dessert and hugs as the depart.

"This has been a long going event with the lodge and just one of the many things that Elks do for the veterans. In the summer, we take more veterans from the hospital on a fishing trip and have a nice lunch with them.", says Robert Schworn, the lodges National Service Chairman. "These men and women have put their lives on the line for us, this is a small token of our appreciation of what they sacrificed. The smiles and thank you we get, it a reward within itself and why we do this every year."

On Veteran's Day, lodge members took time out to ride down to Vietnam War Memorial at the Arts Center. There the members pay their respects to those who have paid the ultimate sacrifice. Each year members attend the ceremony and lay a wreath to honor those who are no longer with us.