The Oil City Elks lodge has made a donation of $4,000 that will help Venango County veterans.
Harry Whittemore, the Venango County Veterans Affairs director, said the Elks wrote a grant and bought $4,000 in gift cards for groceries and gas that were given to him to distribute to veterans in need.
Whittemore said in the past he has given donated gas gift cards to veterans to cover the cost of getting to doctor appointments.
John Clark, the Oil City Elks exalted ruler, said Whittemore spoke about his work as VA director during Veterans Day observances in Oil City last year, and Elks secretary Tim Wade really “took to heart” what Whittemore said and applied for the grant from the Elks national foundation.
“It was all Tim’s idea,” Clark said.
Wade said he was very glad to get the grant and that the lodge continues to help the community, even though some of its efforts aren’t as visible publicly as the grant to help veterans.
