History of the Holiday Giving Program
What We Do
The Christmas Basket program is a tradition dating back to the 1970s. Some amazing Elks, led by Tom Edwards decided to put together a program to provide food to families in the area. Their goal was to help bring a little Christmas cheer to families in need. The initial program was started at the old lodge, formerly on 10th and Walnut, and served 250 families.
As the years went by, the program increased in size, to 500 families in the early 90s. Toys were added to the deliveries, and even more families included. In the 2000s, the number hit 600 families (1500+ children). Technology has allowed us to streamline the operations, including some amazing family management and delivery routing by Tacy Parker in the late 2000s and early 2010s.
The pandemic changed a lot of things in our lives, and the Holiday Giving program was no different. We had to evolve from the massive food drives where we could not vouch for all the canned goods. Barrels of sorted food gave way to gift cards which then led to our current model. Today we fundraise and work with community partners to build nutritious pantry and cold boxes filled with everything needed for some wonderful meals around the holidays. Each child in the family will receive several hand picked toys, and teens are not left out either!
We are still so dependent on and grateful for our volunteers, from the Hillsboro Elks Lodge as well as the local community. in 2024, we were able to register as a 501c3 nonprofit, and look forward to growing the program with even more community support.
Our program is proud to support families in the Hillsboro School District and some nearby parts of Aloha and Beaverton. We are not able to deliver outside of that service area.