Visiting friends and family is the main reason people travel during the holiday season. Truly, there’s no place like home for the holidays. That’s why Mineral Area Community, Mo., Lodge No. 2583 welcomes local veterans to the Lodge-- a place where everyone treats you like family-- to celebrate Christmas.

No Matter How Far Away you Roam

Using an ENF Beacon Grant, the Elks invited 120 veterans from six surrounding nursing homes to the Lodge for Christmas dinner.

“We’re very glad provide these men and women with a holiday meal as a small way of saying thanks for their service to our country,” says Project Manager Roland Seal. “All veterans were warmly welcomed.”

If You Want to be Happy in a Million Ways

A crew of 30 Elks was on hand to serve a turkey dinner with all of the trimmings. Elks also provided musical entertainment and gave each veteran a bag full of Christmas presents.

“Without the ENF Beacon Grant, we could not have put on this event,” says Seal. “The Beacon Grant allowed us to hold this dinner and increase its benefits to our veterans.”

As the song goes, “for the holidays, you can’t beat home sweet home.”

For veterans at the Mineral Area Community Lodge, home and Lodge are one in the same.

Through Beacon Grants, the Elks National Foundation gives Lodges the opportunity to develop an ongoing, charitable, Elks-driven community project. These $1,000 grants are available to all Lodges. To find out more about Beacon Grants and the Community Investments Program, visit www.elks.org/enf/community.