NAMPA — The four virtues that make up the Benevolent Protective Order of the Elks’ mission are charity, justice, brotherly love, and fidelity. Nampa’s 1389 lodge just showed all four of those in spades with a monumental effort to bring holiday happiness to 48 families in need.
More than 50 people — mostly Nampa 1389 members — volunteered Friday night to pack up boxes full of non-perishable food for their neighbors. In addition to the food they were packing and then delivering Saturday morning, they had enough Christmas gifts to give to 115 children.
The food came courtesy of a combination of $5,986 in donations from members and a $1,000 grant from Elks National Foundation (ENF). The overall effort, including materials for the 48 handmade quilts that went to every single family, the 238 handmade pillow cases for every family member, and then everything else cost a total $15,214…