Niantic’s Masonic Lodge will hold a food drive to benefit St John’s Thursday pantry
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The Brainard Masonic Lodge is to hold a food drive on Saturday June 13th to benefit the East Lyme Food Pantry at St John’s. The lodge, which meets at 32 Society Road in Niantic, is appealing for non-perishable food for the pantry which is open each Thursday afternoon in the church hall.
The lodge will take in contributions of foods such as peanut butter, pasta, pasta sauce and cereal, as well as canned foods such as tuna, vegetables, fruit and baked beans during the morning of the 13th, from 8am until noon.
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St John’s has shared its building and provided volunteers to Shoreline Soup Kitchens and Pantries, a faith-based organization, since 2013.
The East Lyme Food Pantry is associated with the Shoreline Soup Kitchens and Pantries which provides fresh vegetables, meat, eggs and bread as well as non-perishable food to people in need who live in one of the eligible towns. St John’s is one of five churches along the coast to host a pantry, open between 2.30pm and 4.30pm every Thursday. Hot, homemade meals are served at nine other churches.
The Brainard Masonic Lodge’s food drive will gratefully accept donations of grocery store gift cards and cash. If checks are made out to Shoreline Soup Kitchens and Pantries the money will go to all its pantries equally. If the money is intended specifically for our own pantry, checks should be made out to St John’s Episcopal Church, Niantic with “SSKP” placed on the memo line to indicate the intended destination of the donation.
The Brainard Lodge was chartered in 1867, with its members, or brothers, “united by a commitment to integrity, service and personal growth”. Although the Masons are not a religious organization, members are encouraged to practise their own faith. Apart from contributing to the St John’s food pantry, the Brainard Lodge supports college scholarship programs, the Boy Scouts of America and the Connecticut Masonic Foundation.
