On Saturday, February 17th, 2024, the Rochester Elks Lodge #1393 presented the Vouchers for Veterans program with a check for $2000 dollars. This donation was made possible by an Elks National Foundation Gratitude Grant. This grant is designed to help local community charitable projects. This money will be used to provide qualified military veterans with $20 dollar vouchers that can be used to purchase food items at local farmers markets.
Representing the Rochester Elks were Exalted Ruler Peter Ducharme and Lodge Secretary / Elks National Foundation Chairman and Past Exalted Ruler Norman Gervais. Accepting the donation was Vouchers for Veterans President Jeanne Grover and Executive Assistant Kelly O’Neil.
The presentation was made at the Rollinsford Winter Farmers Market located at Wentworth Gardens. Vouchers for Veterans was initially started in 2016 with money being collected in a WW II Helmet for military veterans. But how to give it back to the veterans was the question. The people involved had an idea. They decided to use the money to establish a food voucher program for the vets. The vets could use these vouchers to buy nutritious food items at local farmers markets. The first farmers market where this was implemented was Rochester, NH. It was a huge success. In 2018, Vouchers for Veterans applied for
501( c )3 non profit status and received it in the fall of that year.
In September of 2023, Vouchers for Veterans participated in 9 different Farmers Markets each week for the entire month. They gave out $62,000 dollars in vouchers to 1500 veterans. From November 2023 to date, the program has given out approximately $54,380 dollars in vouchers to over 900 individual veterans. The group also has Veterans Services Offices (VSO) representation to help veterans obtain their benefits. This includes assistance with filing the correct paperwork and filling out the various required forms.
If you want more information about Vouchers For Veterans and for directions, dates and exact locations of current Farmers Markets, please visit www.vouchersforveterans.org
The Rochester Elks is a certified 501 ( c ) 8 organization with over 1000 members. For more information about the Elks and its programs, please visit www.elks.org