The Cranberry Elks will be sponsoring a veterans benefits workshop from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 6, at the lodge located at 20720 Route 19. All veterans are invited to attend this free workshop, during which assistance in registering for Veterans Administration Benefits will be provided from local veterans’ organizations.

“I’m extremely proud of the work we do that makes an impact on individuals who fought to secure our freedom,” said Tom Vassallo, exalted ruler. “In addition to programs like our upcoming veterans benefits workshop, our lodge is active throughout the year on a variety of activities that support veterans within our community and those from the Butler VA Hospital.”

Lodge members provide ongoing assistance throughout the year to the veterans cared for by the Butler VA Hospital through serving lunch, hosting picnics, transporting veterans to medical appointments and providing needed essentials through the holiday Adopt-A-Vet program. In addition, a haircut fund was established at the lodge to support the volunteers who donate their time and talent taking care of this essential need for the hospitalized veterans.

Through the Cranberry Elks Mats for Vets program, volunteers assemble sleeping mats made from plastic shopping bags which are provided to homeless vets. For previously homeless veterans who are moving into their first homes, the lodge provides Welcome Home Kits which include essential household items.

The lodge also partners with local organizations, such as the Zelienople Historical Society for which volunteers helped place 6,000 flags at the four corners in Zelienople in conjunction with the July visit of the traveling Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. And through a partnership with the Yellow Ribbon Girls in Ellwood City, lodge members support active military personnel through care packages shipped to overseas troops.

“We have amazing members who work tirelessly on our various charitable programs,” Vassallo said. “As our lodge membership continues to grow, we will be able to accomplish even more and continue to support our veterans and our community at large.”

For more information on the veterans benefits workshop, or the Cranberry Elks, visit www.cranberryelks.com.