By John Tredrea, Special Writer
LAMBERTVILLE — A food panty, a first aid squad, a charity organization and two community parks recently received donations from the Lambertville Elks Lodge.
The donations made by the Lodge to those organizations total $2,000.
Lambertville Elks member Jim Cavallo, who chaired an Elks committee that considered how donation money should be allocated, said the Elks “tried to pick groups that we thought could use the help.”
Mr. Cavallo said the Elks wished they could have done a lot more. But, “a little bit is better than nothing,” he said.
It seems clear that more than “a little bit” was done for the six organizations the Elks chose to aid.
Cavallo Park, a Lambertville Park that is undergoing a major facelift, received $500 for a heavily used tot lot. Participating in that effort is a nonprofit group, Friends of Cavallo Park.
The Lambertville-New Hope Ambulance and Rescue Squad received $400.
Lambertville Combined Charities received $300.
Friends of Mary Sheridan Park, which is raising money to repair an impressive Civil War monument in that park, received $200 from the Elks.
Meals on Wheels, which takes food to those in need, received $200.
Other organizations benefited as well.
The donations were made possible by the Elks National Foundation’s Gratitude Grant, which is given to lodges that raise $4.50 per member. The Lambertville Lodge has more that 200 members.
The lodge also has set aside money to purchase, then donate, dictionaries to third-graders in local elementary schools as part of an ongoing project.
