Surpassing last year’s $19,000 round of grants, the Wrangell Elks Lodge this year distributed $23,500 in grants to five different community programs.

The money, announced at the Friday evening burger night at the lodge Feb. 13, went to KSTK radio, The Salvation Army, Wrangell Little League and Wrangell Head Start, and to help the community’s veterans.

The funds came from state and national Elks foundations, explained Dawn Angerman, a lodge trustee and grants coordinator.

The Elks National Foundation is dependent on donations from members nationwide, including contributions from Wrangell lodge members, to fund its grants. The lodge applied for — and received — four grants for community nonprofits totaling $11,500 this year.

A Gratitude Grant of $4,500 went to public radio station KSTK, which, like public radio stations nationwide, has been hit hard by the loss of all federal funding.

A Spotlight Grant of $2,000 went to The Salvation Army to help keep its community food pantry stocked.

Wrangell Head Start preschool received a $4,000 Beacon Grant for books, crafts, learning supplies and essential clothing.

And a $1,000 Freedom Grant went to buy turkeys for veterans last holiday season and for a Veterans Day steak dinner at the Elks Lodge.

The awards total the most in recent years, Angerman said. “We did good this year.”

In addition to the national grants, the Alaska Elks Association runs the annual Hometown Elks Local Projects (HELP) grant program, which directed $12,000 for major repairs at the Wrangell Little ballfields.

The Wrangell lodge, which was established in 1935, has more than 400 members, though many no longer live in town.

The lodge needs those members — and new members — to step into officer roles, and to do it soon, Angerman said.

“It’s crunch time right now,” she said. The lodge needs to fill all of its officer seats by the end of the organization’s fiscal year on March 31, or risk losing its national charter.

Any members interested in serving as an officer can text or call Angerman at 907-305-0552 or talk with officers at the lodge.

Anyone interested in joining the community and service organization can contact Angerman or knock on the door at the lodge. “We need new blood,” she said.

There are 15 Elks lodges in Alaska, with more than 5,000 members.