VFW Post 9599 recently received $500 from Elks Lodge 2306 of Jefferson to help establish a fund to welcome military veterans to Jefferson. Pictured are (from left) Elks grant writer Jerry Roberts, Kenneth Arbuckle and Don Ihnken of the VFW, and Elks exalted ruler Hollie Roberts.
With the designation of Jefferson and Greene County as the first Home Base community in the Home Base Iowa initiative, the VFW post has been put front and center in welcoming veterans to the county.
Funds from the Elks will be used to help provide a welcome area in the VFW’s building, as well as snacks, a work area with appropriate furniture, and an unstaffed information center. The center will act to facilitate veterans’ job searches and help to create new relationships in the community.
The funds came from the Elks National Foundation Gratitude Grant program, which is available to lodges that meet per capita goals of financial support for the foundation.
