To towns without an Elks Lodge, the Order might be thought of as mysterious, a place where only knowing the right handshake and password will get you through the front door.

True, some social aspects of Elkdom are limited to members and their spouses. But, if there’s a Lodge in your community, you know that even if you’re not a member, the Elks are there for you. Far from being a realm beyond the reach of non-Elks, Lodges operate in service of the wider community, like those that use Community Investments Program grants to operate food pantries from their facilities.

In 2024, Wallace, Idaho, Lodge No. 331 launched its pantry with the help of a Gratitude Grant. Located outside under an awning, the pantry is protected from severe weather and accessible to anyone in need of food support. Since the food pantry opened, the Lodge has used at least one CIP grant per year to keep it stocked.

Around Wallace, the need is acute. In Shoshone County, 25.6% of children experience food insecurity, while 17.3% of the general population do. Comparatively, 14.4% of the American population and 19.5% of children nationwide experience food insecurity.

This is reflected in those who receive support from the Wallace Elks pantry. Students often stop by on the way to school; members of the unhoused community frequent the pantry as a source of reliable food; parents visit after work, or late in the evening after putting the kids to bed. Often, a day after filling the pantry, its stock is exhausted.

But the need is matched by contributions from the community. Beyond the thousands received each year in CIP funding, members consistently contribute food, and the wider Wallace community also makes sure the pantry is maintained.

The pantry is only one aspect of the Wallace Lodge’s larger effort to fight hunger. It also uses grants for its Feed the Need program, in which the Lodge responds to emergency needs during storms, power outages and other crisis situations. In the absence of crises, the funds are used to purchase more food for the Lodge pantry.

Katy, Texas, Lodge No. 2628’s food pantry has been foundational for many of its members, like Exalted Ruler Liz Sample. As soon as she joined the Lodge, she was asked to join the crew in charge of the pantry. In the years since, the pantry expanded as the Lodge was renovated, moving from a closet to a room big enough to hold new shelves all stocked with food.

While local schools organize food drives and the Lodge occasionally holds fundraisers, the Beacon Grant serves as the primary funding source for the pantry. Since 2017, when it was used to establish the pantry, the Lodge has received a Beacon Grant each year to stock it with food supplies.

The resource has become known around the Katy community, primarily through Facebook groups, and a steady stream of new faces pass through the pantry doors. The Lodge sees the pantry as a stopgap for people in between paychecks or other forms of support. Five committee members take the reins by shopping, filling and stocking the shelves. While the pantry is only accessible during Lodge hours, it is common for Elks to prepare bags of food that can be picked up by those who need them at other times.

Other Lodges opt to operate temporary pantries out of their facilities. With part of its Beacon Grant, Bridgeport, Pa., Lodge No. 714 held a pop-up pantry event on the front lawn of the Lodge. To provide people with items not covered by SNAP benefits, the Lodge included hygiene items and paper products along with the food. About 50 families stopped by and received items.

Whether your Lodge stocks a pantry within its walls, puts its wares on the front lawn, or utilizes the CIP grants in other ways, your neighbors know that service is an integral part of being an Elk. Make sure they don’t forget it and apply for any available CIP grants on the Grants Dashboard!

For 2026-27, the Elks National Foundation allocated $18 million to the Community Investments Program. Lodges meet local needs through CIP grants that offer Elks opportunities to serve their community in ways that raise the Lodge's profile, energize membership, encourage former members to return to the fold, and gain the notice of people who want to be part of an organization that's doing great things. To learn more about the Community Investments Program, please visit elks.org/CIP. To speak to CIP office staff, call 773/755-4730.