Farmington Lodge #192 Provides Warmth this Winter
Left to Right: Farmington Lodge #192 Chaplin Matt King, Brother Nic Ulm, members of Farmer’s Closet, Brother Paul Waters, Brother Jack Gray, and Farmington Lodge #192 Treasurer Richard Springer Jr.
The colder months means that we will all be bundling up in our coats, gloves, scarfs, and boots. But what if you did not have winter clothing to keep you warm? That is the sad reality of some children in our communities. When a family cannot afford a coat, they go without. Warm winter clothes are a necessity in the icy, cold Illinois winter. Farmington Lodge #192 and the Farmer’s Closet in Farmington, Illinois saw this need and rallied together to provide warmth to students in the Farmington Central School District.
The Farmer’s Closet is located in Farmington, Illinois and serves the students of Farmington Central School District. Their mission is to meet the basic needs of students in their area. This may include back to school supplies, backpacks, P.E. uniforms and shoes, hygiene items, and winter clothing. For this winter, Farmer’s Closet collected donations for winter boots, coats, and for holiday gifts for around 50 students in PreK through 12th grade.
Farmington Lodge #192 have fully embraced the Farmer’s Closet and raised $1600 to assist in the effort to provide basic necessities to students. However, the members of Farmington Lodge #192 realized that more needs to be done in order to truely help the children in their community. After reaching out to the Illinois Masonic Children’s Assistance Program (IMCAP), they learned about the Youth Organization Connection microgrant. Quickly, they filled out the proposal and requested assistance on behalf of the Farmer’s Closet. Their proposal was approved and a microgrant was awarded for $5000 to help the Farmer’s Closet provide winter clothing to children in the area.
The Youth Organization Connection has been able to provide microgrants for a variety of youth organizations and inicitives including food pantries, clothing drives, community sports teams, and youth clubs. Does your Lodge know of a youth organization that needs support? Go to https://imcap.org/youth-organization-connection to learn more about the Youth Organization Connection and how to apply.