Vern Bean’s virtual Stratton-Eustis Food Pantry fundraiser is most successful ever

PHOTO: Mount Bigelow Lodge 202 Secretary Vern Bean presents a check for $3,546.97 from his virtual Foggy and Friends concert fundraiser to Chris Hobbs, Lions Club Stratton-Eustis Food Pantry manager. (Emerson Dyer photo)

STRATTON — For 11 years Vern Bean, the secretary of Mount Bigelow Masonic Lodge 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 because of 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 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.
Hobbs added, “The Food Pantry has served many more families than usual in the past months and this donation really helps.”