In 2011, Bradenton Elks started EFELT, a charitable organization that packed food for 50 food-deprived students. The food was delivered to their school on Fridays so they would have food during the weekend. More schools were eventually added and Lakewood Ranch-Sarasota Elks joined the project. There are now about 50 volunteers buying, packing and delivering food to 13 schools for about 550 children. The two lodges have depended on businesses to give temporary space to store the food and pack the bags, resulting in constant moving to alternate sites. EFELT needed a permanent place. Bradenton Lodge allowed EFELT to build a storage and packing building on their property. However, all the grant funds and donations that EFELT collects have to pay for food, gas and auto insurance. The EFELT Board of Directors started a fundraising campaign to help pay for a building. A fundraiser dinner was held in March at Bradenton Lodge and raised $11,000. Board members reached out to organizations to explain what EFELT does and petitioned them for help. On April 6, Connectors With a Cause donated $576.84. On May 18, Christ Church of LongBoat Key donated $40,000 through their Mission Partner Transformation Grant. Once the building is complete, EFELT’s goal is to feed more children so no child faces a weekend without a meal.
Andrea Hitcho, EFELT CEO, middle, is pictured with Jamie Meirowsky and Paige Soper from Connectors With a Cause. Pictured at Christ Church of Longboat Key are EFELT board members Clay Wakefield and Mike Reddy; Jerry Fox, church Mission committee chair; EFELT board members Paul Reddy and Andrea Hitcho; Dr. Julia Piermont, pastor; and EFLELT board members JoAnn Reddy, Liz Andricks, Ted Stenerson, Cindy Stenerson, and Tony Devita.