POLSON - The Elmo Fire stayed steady overnight with no new growth which is good news for those on the frontlines of the blaze that destroyed several homes.
When the fire first hit, several agencies answered the call, and one Polson group, in particular, swung into action to mend a hand.
The Mission Valley Elks which is known for giving back to the community decided to do just that and help those affected by the Elmo Fire.
The club has been collecting donations to provide for evacuees and firefighters battling the fire.
After collecting 300 cases of water last summer in their first annual drive, the group set a goal of 500 for this year and nearly tripled that, totaling over 1,400 cases.
Not only was water collected but granola bars, protein bars, hand and face wipes, eyewash and over 500 cases of Gatorade.
“We’ve been here every day -- me and about four or five other guys. And we help load all the local fire departments, whoever came in,” said Mission Valley Elks member Joe Stark.
“We delivered some water to the Elmo fire camp, we delivered water to CSKT Division of Fire, so we’ve been pretty busy this last week," Stark continued.
A member of the Mission Valley Elks for eight years, Stark says this was one of the most generous showings he’s seen from the community, and he couldn’t be more proud and grateful.
