A $5,000 donation from the Altona Elks is generating a lot of excitement within the Altona and Area Family Resource Centre (AAFRC).
Local lodge members, including Guy Mullen, presented the funds, generated from its latest round of Chase the Ace, this week.
"This really helps the community," he said. "We don't get anything. We take not even a Penny. It all goes back to the community, and we have to thank all of the people who support our Chase the Ace."
Previous rounds have yielded donations as high as $10,000 for local efforts like the library relocation and Kiddie Sunshine Centre expansion.
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In total, the Altona Elks Lodge has invested over $41,000 back into the community since 2022.
"I have no words," said Edbom-Kehler
Nina Edbom-Kehler, AAFRC Coordinator, says what excites her the most is that this money comes without parameters for its use.
"We can spend it where the need is the most. There's lots of grants out there for things - toys, craft supplies - but nothing for people," she explained. "We need people. We need programs where you can come out and interact together, who learn that way, the social interaction, so that's what this can be used for."
And she's already got a program in mind. It's called Mini-Chefs the Kitchen and the hope, according to Edbom-Kehler, would be to help address food insecurity.
"Overhear the parents talking about how it's so tough to purchase groceries because everything is so expensive and then, if you put on top of that, kids are usually a bit pickier," she explained, noting this program would bring the kids into the kitchen. "They help with the preparation [...] and then they take ownership of it and, maybe, they'll try it."
The program would also provide parents with some education around making the best financial decisions when purchasing groceries like, for example, when buying in bulk makes sense or purchasing off-brand products over name brand.
The AAFRC has set aside $28,000 for just its programming budget this year.