February 4, 2026 |
Photo – Rawlins Elks Lodge presents check to St. Vincent De Paul – Courtesy BPOE 609
The Rawlins lodge of the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks recently donated $9,000 to local organizations.
On January 29th, Rawlins Elks Lodge number 609 announced that it had made a $6,000 donation to St. Vincent de Paul and a $3,000 donation to Carbon County School District One’s Little Mustangs Backpack Program. The Rawlins Elks Lodge was founded in 1904 on the national order’s principles of charity, justice, brotherly love, and fidelity, and today has roughly 400 members.
Secretary Mike Murry said the charitable group helped create the Little Mustangs Backpack Program, which provides students with bags of kid‑friendly, easy‑to‑prepare food, and continues to support the effort. The Rawlins Elks Lodge also typically contributes to the organization’s needy‑youth Christmas program, Angel Tree. This year, however, Murry said community members and local businesses supplied the funding needed to keep the Angle Tree program going, allowing the lodge to help St. Vincent de Paul provide meals for the needy.
The donation money came from the $41 million Grand Lodge Community Investment Program. Murry explained that the nationwide grant program is divided into five categories, depending on how the money will be used.
However, individual Elks lodges can only access the nationwide grants if they receive a certain amount of member donations. Murry said the Rawlins lodge more than doubled that requirement, allowing the organization to use the grant money to support the community.
This year, the Rawlins Elks Lodge received two Grand Lodge Community Investment Program grants totaling $9,000. Murry said one grant was given to St. Vincent de Paul, while the other supported Carbon County School District One’s free student meal initiative.
In addition to supporting local charities, Murry said the Rawlins Elks Lodge has donated to the National Hoop Shoot Contest, Memorial Hospital of Carbon County, and the Rawlins High School soccer program. The organization also backs a wide range of other community initiatives.
Murry said the national Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks is focused on helping young people and veterans, adding that the Elks will never forget a veteran. Through the Grand Lodge Community Investment Program, the Order also provides significant educational funding opportunities.
Like other fraternal orders, the Rawlins Elks Lodge depends on the generosity of its members. Murry explained how to join Lodge 609.
The Rawlins Elks Lodge and its members take great pride in helping the community. As they say, the real benefactors in life measure their wealth by what they give, not what they receive.
