Clayton Elks donate over $20,000 in supplies to new veteran residents at Camp Salute

CLAYTON, NJ—On Sunday, July 15, 2018, The Clayton Elks Association – Lodge 2132 delivered the first round of housing supplies to some of the new veteran residents at Camp Salute in Clayton, NJ. Elks Lodge 2132 will be donating the following housing necessities to every resident moving into the Camp Salute Apartment Complex: cookware, bakeware, kitchen utensils, glasses, a blender, coffeemaker, floor care products, bedding, bathroom towels, several toiletries, and cleaning supplies. The total donation will equal over $22,000, which is about $300 per unit.

According to Clayton Elk’s Exhaulted Ruler, Doug Freund states, “When our members heard about the Camp Salute project we knew we wanted to be a part of this amazing project. So many of our members are veterans and we know the struggles they face so, we worked with the People for People organization to see how we can help make this project even more successful.”

Bernadett Blackstock, the President of the People for People Foundation states, “The Clayton Elks donation is so greatly needed. Even though we are providing a permanent housing solution for these veterans in need, it really is only four walls and services that we can account for. Each organization that adds to the project, helps make this housing transition for these veterans in need easier.”

Blackstock adds, “Many of our Camp Salute residents have been living in temporary facilities for years so they don’t have personal household items. Actually, many of them only have their clothes and some personal belongings that they need to survive, not necessarily to live on their own. This donation by the Clayton Elks helps us make the new apartments more like a home.”

By end of June, 18 veterans will be moving in to the newly built Camp Salute Community, a 76-unit apartment complex located in Clayton, NJ. Buildings 7 and 8 will be the first buildings opened to residents, along with the Camp Salute Community Service Center, where People for People will be headquartered.

The Camp Salute Affordable Housing Project is a joint venture between The People for People Foundation of Gloucester County and Conifer Realty, LLC to provide permanent housing for low to moderate income families with a Veteran Preference. It is the first and only community in the United States built to provide permanent housing to veterans, their families and the surviving spouses of veterans.

Blackstock states, “All of our one bedroom apartments are accounted for and several of the two bedroom units are also full but there are still five (5) two-bedroom apartment vouchers and one (1) three-bedroom voucher available for Veterans with a family. We are hoping people help to spread the word so we can fill them by the end of the year.”

The original move in date of June 12, 2018 was moved to the end of the month due to the amount of inclement weather experienced between April and May. The rest of the project is on schedule at this time.

The application for residency at Camp Salute can be found online at PFPFoundation.org.

Applications will be accepted by mail or in person at the interim Camp Salute leasing office located at Millstream Apartments, 241 Blackwood-Barnsboro Road, Turnersville, NJ 08012. The interim leasing office hours are Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday 9 am – 5 pm. Wednesdays 9 am – 7 pm and Saturdays 9 am -1 pm.

Clayton Elks Lodge 2132 has 344 members with 30% of them being veterans. They are located at 350 S. Broad St. Clayton, NJ 08312 and over the past 59 years have provided assistance to veterans and children with special needs.

All applications must be filled out completely and you must provide a copy of your DD 214. There is a prescreen process that includes a criminal and credit background check and verification of landlord references and there is a required security deposit is due at the time of your interview.

The People for People Foundation of Gloucester County is a grassroots 501 3 (c) organization founded in November of 2003 by community leaders who were concerned about helping their neighbors who fall on hard times.

People for People’s mission is to provide financial and advocacy assistance to South Jersey residents who are normally self-sufficient but have experienced a financial hardship due to loss of employment, sickness, accident, fire, or other unforeseen emergency.

In 2010, the People for People Foundation expanded their mission to include the welfare and well-being of veterans throughout the County and State. This was prompted by a dying wish made to Bernadette Blackstock, by her father-in-law, JP Blackstock. JP Blackstock, a WWII veteran, heroically stormed the beaches of Normandy on D-Day, and was permanently disfigured in later battle. He received the Silver Star, Bronze Star, Multiple Purple Hearts, and others.

After returning to the states, Blackstock endured years of rehab and received consistent help from volunteers. Indebted to all the people who helped him, Blackstock dedicated most of the last 46 years of his life after service to volunteering with veterans. This dedication to veterans inspired the Camp Salute community concept and was built in honor of Blackstock’s memory.