Elks lodge assembles 200 welcome-home kits for veterans in new housing

A shower, a clean bed and a stocked bathroom can matter more than any decorative housewarming gift when a veteran is starting over with almost nothing. Fountain Hills Elks Lodge No. 2846 assembled more than 200 welcome-home kits for veterans in need, filling them with bathroom supplies, toiletries and other essentials that help turn an empty unit into a livable home from day one.

The kits carried a total value of more than $70,000, which works out to roughly $350 per kit. The lodge coordinated the effort through Community Building Bridges Inc., pulling together the kind of practical basics that most people do not think about until they move and realize how quickly toilet paper, towels, dishes and detergent add up.

The Elks National Veterans Service Commission says Welcome Home Kits are meant for veterans exiting homelessness and moving into new homes. A typical kit can include kitchen, bathroom, bedroom and cleaning supplies, along with bedding, dishes, pots, pans, towels, toiletries, laundry baskets and detergent. The need is immediate: the Elks say many formerly homeless veterans move into housing with little more than the clothes they are wearing.

That is why these kits have become such a service-minded housewarming model. Lodges can work with the VA or a nonprofit to connect with veterans, and the Elks can reimburse lodges for each donated kit. The setup gives local groups a simple way to contribute something tangible instead of a ceremonial gesture, especially for people who are trying to make a new address feel safe, functional and theirs.

The May effort also marked an expansion of the same lodge’s work. In a Fountain Hills Times story dated Nov. 9, 2025, Fountain Hills Elks Lodge No. 2846 was reported to have helped 167 veterans settle into new homes over the previous year, with about $60,000 worth of household essentials. This year’s 200-plus kits pushed that support even further, showing how a few basics, delivered in volume, can become a serious housewarming lifeline.