Elks spreads holiday cheer to first responders

Each year, local first responders are treated to a festive meal and take part in an awards ceremony at the Elks Lodge of Plant City.

The Elks have hosted the Plant City Police Department and the Plant City Fire Rescue lunch and dinner, respectively, for 30 years. Following the hand-cooked meals, the staff members of both departments join their chiefs in an awards program where the employee of the year is honored by their team.

“We appreciate what they do for us and it’s a way for the Elks to give back to the community,” Judy Wise, veterans chairman and event organizer for the Elks, said. “And not just the community, the first responders that run into danger instead of away from it. Our volunteers cook all of the food and then serve the departments during the special day. It’s really something special.”

Mike Smith, a former Exalted Ruler and longtime Elks member, started the tradition, which follows in the footsteps of the thousands of Elks Lodges across the nation designed to give back to first responders.

This year the teams were treated to a ham dinner with scalloped potatoes, green beans, rolls and all the dessert they could ever want. The Woman’s Club of Plant City provided the sweets and PCPD Chief Ed Duncan said it was an honor to know the community had their back and supported their work.

This year, Wise said, they’ve had an “overwhelming response” from people wanting to volunteer for the event, which she said shows the dedication Elks members have for first responders.

During the PCPD lunch, a special plaque was given from the department to the Lodge in honor of them hosting the event every year. The plaque was a giant wooden black and white American flag with a blue stripe in honor of PCPD. At the bottom was a metal plate explaining that PCPD was showing its love and appreciation for all the Elks do each year.

“The chiefs tell us who their employee of the year is and we have a special plaque that has their name on it,” Wise said. “It really is such a special event for both us and them. We love being a part of it. It’s not necessarily a firefighter or an officer. This year for the Plant City Police Department it’s the head of their communication department. Then they give out special raffle items at the end.”

The lunch is a formal affair attended by the officers and staff. Following the lunch, they quickly return to duty. The dinner takes a slightly more relaxed structure as first responders bring their families with them to the event. Many bring food of their own, turning the affair into a potluck.

Following the ceremony, the children in attendance were surprised by a visit from Santa Claus who pulled wrapped toys out of a red sack to distribute by name to each of the young guests.

This year another layer was added to the event. Wise was in contact with Everyday Blessings, Inc. which cares for children who have been “removed from their previous home due to abuse, neglect or abandonment.” Wise was sharing the story with the group’s director and she said they wanted to get involved.

“These children, they wrote letters to our officers at the Plant City Police Department,” Wise said. “When you keep in mind that officers were more than likely involved in assisting in removing them from their homes, the fact that these children were so excited to write them the lovely letters, that says a lot. They were filled with the sweetest notes. One child said ‘I want to be a cop when I grow up.’ I think it will mean a lot for our officers to see that.”

The ceremonies concluded with holiday cheer and many of the first responders were sent home with enough leftovers to last for days.