From Vancouver Lodge #823
We received a Freedom Grant from Grand Lodge in the amount of $3,000. $1,500 went to Leonard Mills (PER from Vancouver, #823) for the annual Stand Down Program for homeless Veterans held at the Clark County Veterans Assistance Center. Leonard’s program was used to purchase toiletries for homeless Veterans.
Esteemed Loyal Knight, David Burns used the remaining $1,500 towards the purchase of 30 backpacks at $50 each under a pilot program he named the Homeless Veteran Survival Backpack Program. The intention of this program is to try to provide items of use for homeless veterans. He drew upon his own experience as a military member and leader in coming up with a list of the items to include. He placed the order through Amazon Prime to get free shipping and delivery. The items included in the backpacks consisted of the following: a poncho, mirror, whistle, survival blanket, flashlight, notebook, mechanical pencils, first aid kit, energy bars, and ziplock bags. He put a lot of thought into this program and is hoping this will catch on with other lodges. It’s a great way for our Lodge to show our appreciation to our Veterans who are still sadly on the streets as they await other more stable housing arrangements. This also is a great way to further complement our Lodge Welcome Home Kit Program. It was a team effort with Leonard’s help and he got, the local Union High School involved. Their Girls Volleyball Team helped with the filling of the backpacks so they would be ready to turn over to the representatives of the Clark County Veterans Assistance Center. We would like to thank them for their help.
In photo: ER Diane Nelson, Lori Pugh President, and Vice President Ruth Lakel (Clark County Veterans Assistance Center), Esteemed Loyal Knight, David Burns