State College Elks Club event gives toys, food, clothes to needy

BOALSBURG — The State College Elks Club conducted its annual Christmas charity event — handing out food, clothes and toys to 260 area families in need — Dec. 17 at the former Hills Plaza shopping center near Boalsburg. The Elks worked with the Toys for Tots program and the State College Food Bank.

Each participating family received enough food from the State College Food Bank to make a complete turkey dinner. Also included with the Elks’ distribution was a “necessities basket,” featuring cleaning and hygiene products.

Organizer Brenda Kephart said that much of the clothing to be distributed was purchased from local stores, including Sears, which gave the Elks substantial discounts and also donated nearly 400 children’s clothing items.

“Every year, we’ve had so much used stuff, so we got grants from the Elks national organization and we were able to buy brand new items,” Kephart said. Items also were donated by individuals.

Kephart noted that some of the items were given to the Penns Valley Christmas of HOPE, which is affiliated with the Penns Valley HOPE Fund charity, and some was sent to the Philipsburg area for distribution.

Kephart said the program purchased 12 new bicycles for the first time this year, to be given to teenagers. “This will give some 17- to 18-year-olds the ability to get back and forth to part-time jobs,” she said.

The night before the event, bags of toys collected by the Toys for Tots organization were delivered by members of the Boalsburg Fire Company to the 5,000-square-foot plaza facility. A cadre of volunteers, including Pennsylvania dairy princess Halee Wasson, of State College, began the monumental task of sorting the toys according to age and gender. When finished, rows of folding tables were piled high with toys of all kinds, awaiting the arrival of families the next day.

Kephart was enthusiastic about the Elks’ charity program, which has been going on for 40 years. “The nice thing is that the clients get so much stuff — they get a full meal, toys, necessities baskets and the option to get new coats, gloves, hats and shoes,” she said. “It’s getting bigger and bigger every year.”