City Times Staff

Some residents at the Salvation Army Hope Center will sleep a little easier from now on, thanks to a donation by Elks Lodge No. 641.

Members of the lodge, located in downtown Stevens Point, worked out a deal with Furniture Plus on Hwy. 10 East for the purchase of four mattresses, which were later delivered to the city’s homeless shelter located at 1600 Briggs Street.

The lodge received a $2,000 grant from Elks International, which it used to purchase the mattresses at a discounted rate. The lodge also donated funds to Guns N’ Hoses and the Family Crisis Center, and also purchased several hundred dictionaries earlier this year to pass out to local third grade students.

Bob Quam, the director of operations for the emergency shelter, said the Hope Center can’t continue without donations like this one. “It means a lot to the center because everything here, including the beds, requires upkeep but doesn’t last forever.”

“We couldn’t have done this without support of our lodge members, and Furniture Plus, of course,” said Bob Willis from the Elks Lodge.