The Tri-City Elks Lodge may have to change the name of its annual Christmas Cheer Toy event that recently attracted an overflow crowd to its home on West Shore Road in Warwick.

Perhaps Lodge 14, as several people suggested during last Wednesday night’s extraordinary wrapping and packing party, should consider “Families helping Families” as the main title, with an asterisk that simply states “Mother Does Indeed Know Best!”

That was the consensus that surfaced when many members – and their families – joined forces to fill a record number of 50-plus oversized plastic laundry baskets with a variety of foods and toys that ranged from bicycles to games to sports equipment.

“Look at all these volunteers,” said Lori Eaton, Tri-City’s Exalted Ruler, as she added yet more food to several baskets that were placed on top of tables that circled the entire downstairs dining room. “Everyone is doing an awesome job and enjoying every minute of doing so; they’re Benevolent Order of Elks – BPOE – really are the Best People on Earth!”

There were many different stories that stemmed from Tri-City’s recent Christmas Cheer Toy event back on Dec. 9.

One in particular, though, best summed up the annual food and toy drive that resurfaced again last Wednesday evening, courtesy of Ann Licciardi, a Trustee at Lodge 14, and her son David Liccardi, who manages First Home Mortgage in Providence and Milford, Mass.

When Tri-City was planning its Christmas Cheer Toy event, Ann Licciardi told her son about the unique adopt-a-family program that puts food on peoples’ tables at Christmas and toys for children who otherwise might go without having any sort of holiday celebration.

Well, David Liccardi didn’t just adopt one family. He told his mighty mom he planned to do so for four families.

But the mortgage man, who was assisted in his extraordinary giving effort by Camellia Palinkas, who lives in Uxbridge, Mass. and works with David Licciardi, did much, much more.

His company purchased 2,000 gift cards for people in need to use at Walmart, Target and Stop & Shop. Moreover, First Home Mortgage donated clothes and toys for children that he also helped delivery in time for Christmas.

The donation by First Home Mortgage was bolstered by what Mark Eaton, the former Tri-City Exalted Ruler and current ranking statewide Elks official, called “one of the most successful toy and food drives I’ve ever been part of. It’s again what we do; Elks care and Elks share.”

Back on Dec. 9 at the Christmas Toy Cheer event, people were asked to bring at least one toy and some non-perishable food items.

“As usual, they did much, much more,” Mark Easton noted. “When it comes to helping the less fortunate, our lodge [14] is the first group in line.”

Moreover, this year’s program was bolstered by members of Pilgrim High’s SADD group, which also brought food to the annual Community Kids Party on Dec. 17.

Tri-City also received a $1,000 grant to purchase yet more food and a $500 donation that helped purchase gift cards for food that Lori and Mark Eaton shopped for prior to last Wednesday’s packing party.

“This is a great time to be an Elk,” Lori Eaton said while scooting across the room to begin filling yet another basket. “Again, giving back to our community people in need is what we have always been about here [the Tri-City Elks].”