Santa Barbara County’s Veteran’s Stand Down

Santa Barbara Elks Purchases Veteran’s Supplies with Proceeds from Annual “Groovin in the Grove Show”​

The Santa Barbara Elks Lodge will be taking part in the Santa Barbara County’s Veteran’s Stand Down and will provide over $2500 worth of clothing, along with gift cards, toiletries and other supplies.  The event will be held October 19th from 9:00 am – 1:00 pm at the Santa Maria Fairpark, located at 937 S. Thornburg St. in Santa Maria, CA.  Numerous Elk volunteers will be on hand to assist Veterans and guide them towards the resources available through Elk’s programs.

This donation, and others,  were made possible by the support of our local communities, vintage vehicle owners, and many Elks who volunteered to make our “Groovin in the Grove Show”  happen.  What began as a classic car show in 2006, now includes classic cars, vintage travel trailers, antique and specialty motorcycles, military vehicles, and a 37’ Land/Speed Streamliner that was run during Speedweek, 2019, at the Bonneville Salt Flats in Utah.   The event raised $15,000 which will fund local Veterans’ services throughout the year.

Elks meet regularly with local programs to ensure we reach as many Veterans at risk as possible.  By working with other Veteran charities, we help keep their  programs stay active in the community.   In doing so, we have purchased much-needed equipment for the organizers of the weekly Veteran’s Breakfast, including a steam table for serving and a commercial refrigerator/freezer combination, at the cost of $900.00.   More supplies will be purchased in the near future.  We also work closely with Santa Barbara’s  New Beginnings office to locate and assist Veterans and their families who are facing homelessness for possible funding assistance.

A monthly Veteran’s lunch, held on each second Friday, is offered to all Veterans at the Elks Lodge, 150 North Kellogg Ave, Santa Barbara, CA.  The doors open at 11:00 a.m. and lunch is served at 11:30 a.m.  Lunch is FREE for those Veterans that are homeless or in need and guests are welcome.  Guest’s lunch is $13.00.  

The Lodge would like to thank  Santa Barbara and Goleta communities for supporting all of our events throughout the year.  This support assists us towards providing these funds to our local charities.   Thank You!

Elks pledge not to forget our nation’s Veterans.  For more information on the Elks National and/or Santa Barbara Elks Veterans programs, please visit our new website at www.sbelksvsp.org or call our office at 805-964-6859.   For an update on the “Groovin in the Grove” show and a list of our winners and sponsors, please visit our website www.groovininthegrove.org