Delray Beach Lodge donated the other half of its Elks National Foundation Beacon Grant, $1,750, to the Delray Reads program. Delray Reads Day will be held Oct. 29 and will be hosted virtually. The lodge donation along with other sponsors’ donations will be used to purchase 1,600 books at $4 each that will be delivered to elementary schools so that every child in pre-kindergarten, kindergarten and first grade will receive a book to call their own. This year’s book is “Evelyn Del Ray is Moving Away.” During the day of the event, teachers will read the book to their classroom and feature local celebrity readers on social media. They will also share with the community how important a community-wide effort in children’s learning is during this pandemic. The City of Delray’s Delray Reads Day is more important than ever this year to help raise awareness of the importance of reading at an early age. This year the city will join the nation in a Leaning Loss Recovery Challenge as a call to action to acknowledge and confront the very real threat presented by the COVID-19 slide, similar to the summer slide where children lose comprehension during summer breaks. Unless something is done to stop this, the learning loss brought on by the pandemic will dramatically affect children from families that are economically challenged and become one of the lasting legacies of the pandemic. Pictured outside Delray Beach Lodge Sept. 16 for the donation presentation are Kay Johnson, Delray Reads board member; Rich Pollack, Delray Reads board member; Janet Meeks, City of Delray Beach Education Foundation; Carol Eaton, Delray Beach Lodge treasurer; and Cecil Broderick, Exalted Ruler.