LOCAL
Elks Club Cares for Kids BY KELLI THARRINGTON | PHOTOS BY LARRY THARRINGTON
The Elks Club of Plant City donated $2,691.26 to clear the lunch debt of students at area schools. Marty Carroll, the Exhalted Ruler of the Plant City Elks hopes he project will become an annual event. He said, “Helping kids and helping the community is what the Elks are all about.”
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elping children and Veterans is a priority for the Plant City Elks Lodge. So when Virginia Tharrington, a member of Ladies of the Elks, heard about a need in local schools to pay lunch account deficits, she knew just the place to go. After gathering the information needed Mrs.Tharrington then approached the Elks Club with her findings that 15 out of 17 Plant City Schools carried a lunch debt. “For many children, the only decent meal they will have is that meal at school,” said Tharrington. “We wanted to be sure nothing would stop them from getting it.” But it isn’t just about meeting the physical need that was important to the Ladies of the Elks.It’s also the emotional stigma that follows an inability to pay. When students have accrued five lunch charges and have not paid the debt, they must select an alternative lunch consisting of a cheese sandwich, fruit, and milk. “Schools are aware of those children in need and we do our best not to put any extra stress on them,” said Alicia Wilkerson, Principal at
J.S. Robinson Elementary School in Plant City. She added that the alternative lunch program is district policy. The charges follow the student throughout their school career and if the bill is not paid by the time they graduate, they will not receive a diploma. With that in mind, the Elks Club of Plant City rallied around the idea to pay off all student lunch debt for all Plant City schools. “It’s great! Just another way our community reaches out to help their own,” said Jennifer West, Principal of Lincoln Elementary in Plant City. Sharon Morris, Area 6 Superintendent showed her appreciation at the fish fry dinner hosted by the Elks Club on May 3 to present the checks to the school representatives. “We could not be more excited about this partnership. This is another way to help students be successful.” In total, $2,691.26 was donated to the schools. Marty Carroll, the Exhalted Ruler of the Plant City Elks hopes that the project will be an annual event.”Helping kids and helping the community is what the Elks are all about.” PAGE
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