On August 1, over 50 Brothers and Sisters came together at the Southeast Missouri Food Bank (SEMO Food Bank) for Sikeston’s first Masonic Service Day.
Sikeston was one of four Service Days that took place all across the state this year. Each Service Day represents a regional effort for the Masonic Family to come together to support a shared philanthropic service. Other locations included Columbia, St. Louis and Kansas City.
In Sikeston, volunteers representing Lodges and Chapters from all across the Southeast region spent the day working side-by-side to prepare over 1,500 food packages for food-insecure children and seniors.
The Masonic Family’s impact went even further when the Lodges and Chapters within the region presented SEMO Food Bank with a donation of $14,550 through the Masonic Home of Missouri’s Creating-A-Partnership (CAP) Program. These funds will support the Food Bank’s weekend backpack program, ensuring over 75 students receive food packs each weekend for an entire school year.
“The opportunities that we have to come together and serve as Brothers and Sisters makes us appreciate the Masonic Fraternity that much more,” said Right Worshipful Brother Jonathan Maloyed. Brother Jonathan is the current Secretary of New Madrid Lodge No. 108, 30th District’s Deputy Grand Master (DDGM), and a current board member of the Masonic Home of Missouri.
Volunteer uses a tape machine to seal a completed food box during Sikeston’s Masonic Service Day.
Weekend Meals for Children in Need
For six local Lodges and Chapters, efforts to raise funds for SEMO Food Bank’s backpack program began months before the Sikeston Service Day.
Each Lodge and Chapter raised funds within their community in different ways. Some raised funds through soliciting their membership and Bakeless Bake Sales. Others held golf tournaments or other community events to raise the funds. Collectively, the Lodges and Chapter raised $4,850 to support SEMO Food Bank. Then, the Masonic Home of Missouri’s CAP Program matched those funds 2:1, resulting in a total impact of $14,550.
Creating-A-Partnership Participants:
- Bernie Lodge No. 573
- Four Mile Lodge No. 212
- New Madrid Lodge No. 108
- Perryville Lodge No. 670
- Sikeston Chapter #137 O.E.S.
- Sikeston Lodge No. 310
“It’s great that the Masonic Home has Creating-A-Partnership, because you can find creative ways to make a difference,” said Right Worshipful Brother Lee Stallings, Worthy Patron of Sikeston Chapter #137 O.E.S. and Junior Warden of Sikeston Lodge No. 310.
The Masonic Family presents Southeast Missouri Food Bank with a check for $10,050 during the Masonic Service Day. Additional donations were made in the days after the event, bringing the full CAP donation to $14,550.
The CAP funds will be used by SEMO Food Bank to provide weekend meals to students who do not have reliable access to the food they need to grow and learn. This program is especially vital in the southeast region of Missouri, where Feeding America estimates one in four children face food insecurity.
“In this day and age, there’s lots of children that go hungry, and the food that they get through the public school system may be the only two meals that they eat in a day,” Brother Jonathan said. “The backpack program ensures that they have something to eat over the weekends.”
Participating in CAP for the First Time
This effort marked a unique opportunity for Four Mile Lodge, Perryville Lodge, and Sikeston Chapter. All three groups completed their first CAP project as part of the Service Day.
“We’ve looked for a while now for programs and partners. As a small lodge, we didn’t know really where we could go and where our resources could make a difference,” said Right Worshipful Brother Jonce Chidister, Past Worshipful Master of Four Mile Lodge No. 212 and current member of the Masonic Home’s Board of Directors.
Sikeston’s Masonic Service Day created the opportunity that Four Mile Lodge was looking for.
“It motivated us as a Lodge to get involved – to work with the Grand Lodge [of Missouri] and with the Masonic Home and show that yes, there is a Masonic presence in Southeast Missouri and yes, we can perform service work down here,” Jonce said. “We can make a difference, and we can pool our resources together to make an impact in the local communities.”
Sikeston’s First Masonic Service Day
Since this was the first year that a Service Day was held in Southeast Missouri, Brother Jonathan and other members of leadership took special efforts to encourage as many Lodges and Chapters to take part as possible.
“We wanted to pick a partner that we believe was inclusive for our membership,” Brother Jonce said.
SEMO Food Bank was an ideal beneficiary for two reasons: First, it provides assistance to people in need throughout the Southeast region. Second, the Food Bank offers indoor volunteer activities that can be available regardless of the weather forecast.
“We could do what we needed to do, rain or shine, hot or cold,” Brother Jonathan said. “Or in this situation, hot or hotter.”
Volunteers package weekend backpacks for students at the Jackson location for Southeast Missouri Food Bank.
All the planning and collaboration efforts paid off. The volunteers who attended were an array of Master Masons, Eastern Star members, Grand Lodge Officers, and even some non-Masonic family members who came along to help.
“Probably the biggest thing for me personally was the fact that, not only did we have representation from the local Lodges and Chapter, but we also had a large contingency of both elected and appointed Grand Lodge Officers,” Brother Lee said. “In our part of the state, honestly, we’re rural, so just the fact that they came in large numbers — that’s significant.”
Every person, regardless of age or title, contributed to the collective effort. Together, the group packed nearly 700 grocery boxes for seniors and 800 weekend meal packs for students.
“You can see this assembly line with cans and boxes lined up on both sides. If you look at it by yourself it’s a large task, but then you get together with Brothers and Sisters that you may have different levels of familiarity with. When we came together like that, it was fun,” said Brother Jonathan. Later, he continued, “We’re all working together and working hard.”
Volunteers use an assembly line to pack groceries into boxes for seniors during the Sikeston Masonic Service Day.
The Power of the Collective
Masonic Service Days provide a call to action for Lodges and Chapters across the state. They are an opportunity to show the impact that the Masonic Family can make together. In its first year, Sikeston’s Service Day did just that.
In an email sent after the event, Justin Mann, Volunteer Coordinator for SEMO Food Bank wrote, “Thank you for your compassion, your dedication to serving others and your continued partnership in the fight against hunger. We are truly grateful for all you do to help children, families and seniors across Southeast Missouri.”
Through boxes packed and funds raised, the Sikeston Service Day once again proved the power of the Masonic Family when we work together.
