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The Bladen County Masonic Lodge No. 646 A. F. and A. M. in Elizabethtown presented a check to the Masonic Home for Children on Monday night. The Lodge held a raffle for a Stoeger 12-gauge rifle which was sponsored by Bryant’s Gun and Pawn and the funds were given to the children’s home. Past Master Mike Wyatt said the fundraiser generated about $1,600 for the home.
Chris Richardson, the Director of Financial Development for the Masonic Home for Children, accepted the donation. He said the home was the first of its kind in North Carolina. The home opened its doors in 1873 in Oxford.
“It is one of only five homes left in the United States,” said Richardson.
He said the Masonic Home for Children is maintained and operated through donations. Richardson estimated it takes about $4 million per year to operate the home. He said the funds are raised through annual giving, fundraisers held by various lodges, planned gifts, and personal donations.
Richardson said the home accepts children ages infant to 22 years old. Since it was first opened, Richardson said the home has housed between 15,000 to 20,000 children.
The home is licensed by the state to house up to 86 children. Richardson said the home does not cost parents or families anything. He said the Masonic Home for Children can accept siblings so that the family can stay together.
Richardson said it all begins with a telephone call. To learn more about the Masonic Home for Children and its programs or to make a donation, go to www.mhc-oxford.org.
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