Elks Club donates $2K to CCS

By Ben Olson
Reader Staff

The Sandpoint Elks Club presented Community Cancer Services with a donation for $2,000 to be used toward their grocery voucher program.

Left to right: Teresa Lunde, Sherri Lies, Linda Tatlock, Denise Wilken, Cindy Marx and Becky Stone. Photo by Ben Olson.

“We got a grant that came unexpectedly,” said Elks president Becky Stone. “Usually we have to provide some kind of service with the grant, like building garden beds or the like, but with this one, we were able to give a donation.”

At the suggestion of Linda Tatlock, a cancer survivor, the Elks decided to “keep it local” and give the donation to CCS.

“When someone receives a cancer diagnosis, it impacts everything,” said CCS program manager Cindy Marx. “It’s not just financial. It’s emotionally draining.”

CCS, which was founded in 2002, is a Sandpoint nonprofit organization tasked with providing information and direct support to cancer patients and their families residing in Bonner and Boundary Counties.

“This donation will help with our grocery voucher program,” Marx said. “Often, we’ll have clients that receive a cancer diagnosis and they’ll be right at the poverty level. It’s hard to try to eat better and cleaner when you don’t have the means. It’s also tough on families because maybe the bread winner is unable to work because of their diagnosis.”

Marx said the grocery voucher program, as well as a gas voucher program, helps CCS clients pay the food bill, as well as fuel costs for treatments that may take them to Post Falls or Spokane.

“We also are able to directly pay medical bills if they fall through the cracks,” Marx said.

Marx said 90 percent of CCS’ funding comes through donations, either directly from the public, or through a series of annual fundraising events. For a full list of upcoming events, check out CCS’ website at www.CommunityCancerServices.com.

“If you don’t have insurance, or are on a limited budget, CCS is a godsend,” said Linda Tatlock with the Elks Club.