Danish Brotherhood Lodges participated in the Society's first-ever CanStructure Contest with a member food drive followed by a CanStructure build created out of the canned and other food items collected. All lodges reported that their members had a great time with the contest as the pictures will attest. A total of 1,513 pounds of food valued at $2,399 was collected through this project. In addition, a total of $450 in cash donations, including Growth Ring Matching Gifts made by the Society, were collected for the respective food banks/pantries. A huge success.
Pictures of the CanStructures were posted on the DenverWoodmen Blog on November 2nd for voting by visitors to the Blog. Voting was open until midnight on Sunday, November 20. A total of 2,565 votes were cast for the CanStructure contest! And the winner of our CanStructure contest and $250 is DBIA Seattle Lodge 29 having captured 1,451 votes. DBIA Haabet Lodge 32 received 944 votes; DBIA Centennial Lodge 348 received 106 votes; and DBIA Gimle Lodge 95 came in with 64 votes.
Congratulations to DBIA Lodge 29 and thanks to all the lodges that participated! This was a fun event and one we must consider again for next year!
During the month of October, Seattle DBIA Lodge 29 once again held a food drive with donations designated to go to HopeLink, an organization committed to helping people in the Puget Sound region through their network of 5 food banks and programs including housing, employment and other social services. Donations were brought to the October lodge meeting and collected during several other functions at the Northwest Danish Association.
A total of 477 pounds of food was collected and donated to HopeLink with a value of $715.50. Members also donated a total $250 in cash donations, including $75 in growth ring matching funds submitted by benefit members Anker Sorensen and Karen Bruun and matched by the Society.
The food drive concluded on Saturday, October 22 when the lodge held its annual Veteran’s Night dinner honoring members reaching membership milestones with 25, 50 & 60-year pins. The theme for the evening was Harvest Fest with edible table decorations that were then added to the lodge’s food collection. A great idea!
After dinner the creative sculpture crew got to work building their rendition of a Viking ship complete with oars, canned “fish in the sea” and a Danish flag! 
One member, Frank Poulsen, went “Trick or Treating” for food donations last year and his neighbors encouraged him to do it again this year. So, he made another round this year and amassed many pounds of food to add to the lodge’s total. Over all, 40 members were involved in DBIA Lodge 29’s food drive logging a total of 61 hours. The lodge has voted to donate the $250 Contest Award to HopeLink.
Thank you, DBIA Seattle Lodge 29!
DBIA Haabet Lodge 32 in New Haven, CT also had its members bring food donations to its regular business meeting. They collected 268 pounds of food; most of which was donated to the Hamden Food Bank and the remainder to the East Hampton Food Bank.
13 members then tackled the challenge of building their CanStructure. After a couple of hours, it was clear the
members had a structure in place; but what to call it? “The Structure” was the only thing that came to mind and so it was christened. “The Structure” was clearly representative of their Danish heritage as well, with flags of the United States and Denmark atop. A total of 26 hours and food estimated at a value of $450 was logged by the lodge for this project.
Thank you, DBIA Haabet Lodge 32.
At its October meeting, DBIA Centennial Lodge 348 in Eugene, Oregon had a member food drive benefiting Food for Lane County in Eugene. A total of 156 pounds of food valued at $234 was donated by members.
5 members then began to put together their CanStructure for the contest. The crew set its sights on creating a Viking Ship; I think there is a definite trend among the Danish lodges participating in the contest. Their structure comes complete with Viking figures manning the deck and ladles used for oars. Over all, Lodge 348 had 45 members participate in the food drive and CanStructure build for a total of 53 hours.
Great job, DBIA Lodge 348!
In conjunction with its regular business meeting, Brotherhood members of DBIA Gimle Lodge 95 in Ferndale, California had a member food drive for Our Saviors Lutheran Church Food Pantry. A total of 612.90 pounds of food was collected; that is a 134% increase over what the lodge collected last year!
11 members began the task of laying out their plan and building their CanStructure. Before long, the Viking Ship was done; complete with a sail and a Danish Flag adorning the stern. Lodge 95 logged a total of 44 hours for this project with the estimated value of food being $1,000. Benefit member and Lodge Secretary, Judy Kjer Scott, chipped in by requesting a matching gift from the Society through the Growth Ring Matching Gift Program for the Our Saviors Lutheran Church Food Pantry. So, including the growth ring matching gift, the lodge impacted the food pantry and its community to the tune of $1,200.
Thank you, DBIA Gimle Lodge 95.