Twenty five members of Nova Caesarea Harmony Lodge No. 2 have used their time and money to support a backpack program at Miamitown Elementary, which is located a few blocks from the lodge hall. The program provides backpacks containing food to help children, who otherwise might go hungry over the weekend.
“In January, we merged with Columbia Lodge No. 44 and relocated to Miamitown. Our Lodge wanted to see if we could help with any local community projects,” explained Worshipful Master Rodney Epperson. “Elementary Principle Dave Kelly spoke at a Lodge meeting and explained that sixty percent of his students did not have food on the weekends. For years, they had wanted to initiate a backpack program for their students whereby donated food would be placed in backpacks and given to the kids for use over the weekend.”
The Lodge members packed and passed out the backpacks each Friday during the school year. The program grew with the assistance of a local church. As of the end of the school year, the program was able to assist a little over 400 children, and the Lodge will continue the program for the next school year.
An unintended result of the Lodge’s community service is that it has generated three petitions for initiation,” shared Epperson. “But the most powerful example of the program’s impact has come with the comments of one of the teachers. She informed us that she asked her students if they would swim with sharks for a million dollars. One of her students replied, yes because if she had a million dollars her family would not worry about having food ever again.”
