Lexie Laoutas, principal of White City Elementary School in Fort Pierce, Florida, contacted the Fort Pierce Elks backpack program Friday, March 19, and asked if they could donate small bottles of water for students. Due to COVID-19, all student water fountains have been shut down and many students do not have the funds to bring in bottles of water. Using donated backpack program funds, volunteers immediately went out and purchased 12 cases of 48-packs and 18 cases of 24-packs of water for a total of 1,008 bottles and delivered them to the school Monday morning, March 22. In a thank-you letter from Principal Laoutas, she wrote, “…we are unable to allow students access to the water fountains and rely on parents to send their children to school with their own bottled water. For various reasons that does not always happen and we rely on the generosity of others to fill that need. We are so grateful to the Elks lodge for the generosity and continued support of our students.”
Pictured are Yovanna Perdomo, site foreman; Lexie Laoutas, principal; and Fort Pierce Elks backpack volunteers Patricia Swayngim, PER, Exalted Ruler-elect; PDDs Lenny & Barb Smallacombe; Betty Foster, Leading Knight; and Scott Borror.