This annual event helps raise funds so that the Elks can continue to help local charities. The Order spends more than $80,000,000 across the nation every year for benevolent, educational and patriotic community-minded programs.
Contestants in this year’s Chili Cook Off can win a cash prize by entering the Overall Award category; this chili must be cooked on site and in 3 hours. The People’s Choice Award is slightly less stringent (and does not involve a cash prize), but it can be cooked in the comfort of your own home.
Please invite your family and friends to come vote for their favorite Chili. There is a $5 tasting fee that will be put towards one of our many charitable programs. Also, music and entertainment will be provided.
All charitable donations go towards great causes. Examples include medical assistance for handicapped children, Elks National Foundation scholarships, scouting, athletic teams, veterans’ works, a national “Hoop Shoot” free-throw contest involving more than 3 million children, and physical and occupational therapy programs.
The youth of our country have always been important to us. It is for this reason the Elks Drug Awareness Education Program was launched to warn primary grade students and their parents of the dangers of drug use.
Additionally, every lodge observes June 14th as Flag Day, a tradition which the Elks began in 1907 and was later adopted by Congress as an official observance.
The Mission of the Elks is to inculcate the principles of Charity, Justice, Brotherly Love and Fidelity; to recognize a belief in God; to promote the welfare and enhance the happiness of its Members; to quicken the spirit of American patriotism; to cultivate good fellowship; to perpetuate itself as a fraternal organization, and to provide for its government, the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks of the United States of America will serve the people and communities through benevolent programs, demonstrating that Elks Care and Elks Share.
Please visit the Tallahassee Elks Lodge website for entry and sponsorship applications, and more information about the Elks Annual Chili Cook Off.