STRATTON-EUSTIS – For 11 years Vern Bean, the secretary of Mount Bigelow Masonic Lodge # 202 in Stratton, performed over the Memorial Day weekend with his band “Foggy and Friends” at the Plaza Hotel to benefit the Stratton-Eustis Food Pantry.
This year, for the 12th annual event, he was not able to do things as usual due to the Coronavirus restrictions. Instead, he coordinated with Peter Farnsworth, the master of Mount Bigelow Lodge, to make this a Lodge fundraiser. Working also with both the Grand Masonic Lodge of Maine Charitable Foundation for matching grants and the Stratton-Eustis Lions Club President, Sally Iverson, he held a virtual fundraiser.
With the support of the members of both the Masonic Lodge and Lions Club this was the annual event’s most successful fundraising effort to date. At a recent Lions Club meeting, Bean presented a check for $3,546.97 to Chris Hobbs, the Lions Club Stratton-Eustis Food Pantry manager.
The virtual event raised $1,546.97 in donations with the first thousand dollars collected matched by the Grand Lodge of Maine Charitable Foundation with two dollars for every one dollar collected using two different matching grant categories.
“I would like to thank everyone who helped put this fundraiser together and especially all the Masonic Brethren and Lions Club members who promoted the event and made donations in these difficult times,” Bean said. “The Food Pantry has served many more families than usual in the past months and this donation really helps.”
