Members of Cape Henlopen Elks Lodge 2540 in Lewes visited Rehoboth Elementary School March 31 to donate various student supplies needed by the children and staff.

Each year, a number of grants are available through the Elks National Foundation. Past Exalted Ruler Ralph Patterson applied for a $1,500 grant with the intention to purchase school supplies for a local elementary school. Once approved, PER Buddy Hall-McBride and Elks Scholarship Chair Dr. John Kreitzer worked together to identify items most needed by Rehoboth Elementary School. At the top of the list were children's headphones to be used for testing and online learning, and various supplies for classroom use, arts and crafts. The Elks provided 111 headphone sets and 15 chargers with six-foot cords, as well as 211 dry-erase boards with erasers, 96 crayons and 24 pencil boxes.

It is part of the Elks' mission to invest in the local community to make it the best it can be, especially in these challenging economic times. McBride said, “As a community service organization, the Cape Henlopen Elks Lodge would like to be sure that students in our local elementary schools have access to necessary school supplies. It is vital that we invest in the education of our leaders of tomorrow.”