By Daily Press staff
Veterans were all smiles last week when Santa Monica Elks brought them flowers and clothes. Robbie Robinson, chairman of veterans affairs and Ann Scully, president of the Santa Monica Emblem Club, recently delivered 220 vases of flowers to the hospital rooms at the VA Hospital in Westwood.
Scully described the experience as heartwarming, as they were greeted with cheers and tears. Many of the patients had not had a visitor in months. The flowers were donated by two Santa Monica Elks members.
And members of the Santa Monica Elks delivered their first load of clothing to the VA Hospital last week. It took a pick-up truck and a car to carry all of the clothes.
“This is just the beginning,” Robinson said. “We were running out of storage space at the lodge. There is still several weeks to go on the current drive.”
When the effort began, the shelves were bare at the volunteer clothing store. There is still a need for all items of clothing — small, medium or large, men or women’s. Shoes, purses, suits or jeans. There also is a need for books, games and puzzles.
Vance Davis, program assistant at the Elks, said many of the veterans were homeless and many have alcohol addiction. Their clothes are immediately incinerated when they are admitted to the VA.As they become rehabilitated,they need clothes to go out and apply for a job.To donate clothes,deliver them to the Santa Monica Elks Lodge at 1040 Pico Blvd.,from 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday to Friday. For more information, call Curt Curtiss at (310) 645-8989. Community college TAP into scholarships
Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on August 9, 2006. Read the original PDF.