ELSMORE Els-more Ruritan Club will have its annual chili/ soup supper from 5 to 7 p.m. Saturday at the Elsmore Community Building. Club members will serve chili and a variety of soups, homemade cornbread, crackers, cake and a drink for a free-will donation. Proceeds will go to the clubs general fund.
Tickets will be sold for dessert drawings held throughout the evening. Diners bringing an item for the Els-more Blessing Box or a non-perishable item for the food pantry will receive one free dessert drawing ticket per diner. Blessing Box items can include nonperishable food, small household items such as dish detergent, bath or facial tissues, toothpaste/brush, etc.
Tickets will be available for a raffle which will take place at the end of the supper. Raffle items include a Bill Snyder autographed Kansas State football and a handmade quilt donated by the late Leona Miner family. All monies from the raffle tickets will go to the clubs college scholarship fund. Tickets are also available from club members prior to Saturday. Last year the club distributed more than $1,200 in scholarships to seven area students.
Each year the Ruritan club helps Marmaton Valley High School organizations such as FFA, FCCLA, Forensics and After Prom activities. Treat bags are given students riding the bus from Elsmore to Moran at Halloween and Christmastime and treat bags and community calendars are given senior citizens at Christmas. The club supports the Allen County Fair, holds a dog/cat vaccination clinic every spring, helps maintain the city playground, community building and community garden, and distributes food monthly in conjunction with Feed America and Humboldt Ministerial Alliance.
In May, the national Ruritan organization will celebrate 90 years of service. There are 1,200 clubs with 30,000 members in the United States. Elsmore is one of 12 clubs in the Middle America District in Kansas. With 53 members last year, the Elsmore club was commended by Ruritan National for being one of the top 5 clubs in the medium size category in 2017. For more information about the club send requests to Elsmore Ruritan Club c/o Clara Cunningham, P.O. Box 114, Iola, KS 66749.
