BLACKFOOT — The Blackfoot Elks Lodge recently made a big donation of just over $11,000 to the Idaho State Veterans Cemetery in Blackfoot.

The money will go toward helping the veterans cemetery with some of its regular costs and needs, as well as toward projects that will help improve the grounds.

Lori Marvin, the Blackfoot Elks Lodge veterans chairman and the East District veterans chairman for the Elks Association, said the Blackfoot Lodge works very closely with the Idaho State Veterans Cemetery in Blackfoot. The Lodge is always willing and looking for ways to support the veterans cemetery.

The cemetery provided Marvin and her team with a list of its needs and wants for the year. Marvin said the Lodge was able to cover everything on that list this year using a portion of the $65,000 they raised in their annual fundraiser last May.

“We not only took care of the main needs they have had, we also took care of their wish list,” Marvin said. “Our veterans have done so much for us. They paved the way for us. They protected us, our freedom and gave us the rights to do what we do. I’m proud to give back to them and give them a better life.”

Among the items on the list was to build a facility for the Honor Guard members to gather in when they come to the cemetery for funeral services.

“When it was cold on Friday and the wind was blowing so bad, they were outside,” Marvin said of the Honor Guard members. “This way, they’ll have a nice warm place. They’ll have couches and chairs to sit on, and it will make it nicer for them.”

While giving $11,000 to the Idaho State Veterans Cemetery was a significant donation, it’s far from the only altruism the Lodge has recently engaged in.

Marvin said the Lodge was also able to donate $3,000 to the Idaho State Veterans Home in Pocatello to cover all veteran residents’ hair services.

Residents have to pay for their own hair services, such as cuts and colors. But many of the veterans move in with no money and can’t afford a haircut. The $3,000 should cover all the residents’ hair needs for the year, Marvin said.

The Lodge also has recently donated $5,000 to the Idaho Elks Lodge for Homeless Veterans. They’ve additionally taken veterans out to play checkers and treated them to dinner. They also take an annual trip to the Eastern Idaho State Fair, which they’ve done for veterans every year for the past 41 years, Marvin said.

In Pocatello, Marvin said all of the lodges in the eastern district are working on building an Eastern Idaho Elks Activity Park at the Pocatello Veterans Home.

Marvin said she doesn’t know when the project will be complete, but they put funding into it every year and anticipate it will cost about $100,000 to finish.

“Right now, we have a putting green in there, we have a gazebo there, we have a pool table, and we have a ping pong table,” Marvin said. “We’re also going to do a fishing pond with a fountain.”

All of the $65,000 the Lodge raised in 2023 will go toward helping local veterans.

“I love doing this,” Marvin said of her work supporting veterans. “I take one day off a year from raising money for veterans, but this is a total team effort. Our businesses are great in Blackfoot and Bingham County about supporting our veterans program, and I couldn’t do it without the committee members.”

For more information about Blackfoot Elks Lodge #1416, visit the Blackfoot Elks Lodge #1416 page on Facebook, or call 208-785-1080.