On March 14, community leaders, veterans, and volunteers gathered once again in San Dimas for the Feeding Military Families food drive, marking the fourth anniversary of a program that has grown into one of the region’s most successful community efforts supporting military families. What began in 2022 as a modest collection effort has now delivered more than 47 tons of food, hygiene supplies, baby items, and other essentials to military installations serving active-duty service members and their families.
A highlight of this year’s campaign was the Secretary’s Challenge, an initiative encouraging community leaders to donate their weight in food to support the drive. The challenge has become a symbol of leadership by example, demonstrating how visible commitment from community figures can inspire broader participation and generosity.
This year, ten leaders from government, law enforcement, civic organizations, and the Masonic fraternity stepped forward to meet the challenge, helping draw attention to the ongoing needs of military families and reinforcing a simple message: when leaders rise to serve, communities follow.
Those who met the Secretary’s Challenge included:
• Jack Rose, PM, PGL, San Dimas Masonic Lodge No. 428
• Derick Bahmanou, Worshipful Master, San Dimas Masonic Lodge No. 428
• Glenn Johnson II, Secretary, San Dimas Masonic Lodge No. 428
• Daniel Klockman, San Dimas Masonic Lodge No. 428
• Cliff Lewis, San Dimas Masonic Lodge No. 428
• Allan C. Frisch, Downey United Masonic Lodge No. 220
• Emmett Badar, Mayor, City of San Dimas
• Ryan Vienna, Council Member, City of San Dimas
• Captain Michael Moen, Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department
• Michael Mekeow, San Dimas Resident
The impact of the March drive was significant. More than seven tons of food and supplies were collected during the campaign. Approximately 5.5 tons will be delivered to Marine Corps Air Ground Combat Center Twentynine Palms, while Fort Irwin and Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton will each receive roughly three-quarters of a ton for their installation food pantries, helping junior enlisted families facing financial strain.
Behind these numbers are the stories that remind volunteers why the work matters.
During the drive, a deputy sheriff stopped by the collection site and quietly dropped off a donation. As he did, he shared a story from earlier in his life. Years ago, he served as a young lance corporal in the Marine Corps. At the time, he and his wife had an infant child, and making ends meet was not easy. Like many young military families, they sometimes struggled to put enough food on the table.
Looking at the volunteers gathering donations, he reflected that a program like Feeding Military Families would have made a real difference for his family during those years. Now, in a position to give back, he said he was grateful for the opportunity to help support a young Marine family he will probably never meet. His story served as a powerful reminder that many of the people who support the drive understand firsthand the challenges faced by junior enlisted families.
The impact of the program also reaches far beyond San Dimas. Each year, Dylan Oak, a Marine Corps veteran and former member of San Dimas Masonic Lodge who is now a member of Las Palmas–Ponderosa Lodge No. 366 in Fresno, organizes a food collection in California’s Central Valley. Oak personally transports the donations more than 100 miles south to Bakersfield, where Worshipful David Ogle, Past Master San Dimas Masonic Lodge, meets him. Ogle then completes the final leg of the journey to San Dimas so the food can be included in the drive and delivered to military installations.
Acts of generosity also arrive from other parts of Southern California. In Desert Hot Springs, Carole Gil has continued the tradition of involvement from the extended Masonic family. Gil created nearly one hundred handmade quilts for military families. These quilts accompany the food deliveries and provide a deeply personal expression of care and gratitude to the families who receive them.
The success of Feeding Military Families reflects a broad coalition of community partners who work together to make the drive possible. Major partners include San Dimas Masonic Lodge No. 428, the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department, American Legion Post 309, the La Verne/San Dimas Woman’s Club, the East Valley Woman’s Club, Duarte Unit No. 830 American Legion Auxiliary, Arcadia Masonic Lodge No. 278, East San Gabriel Valley Republican Women, Lakewood Elks Lodge No. 850, the Association of the United States Army, and the San Dimas Rotary Foundation.
While the March drive represents a major milestone each year, the mission continues. Collections for Feeding Military Families take place throughout the year, and individuals, businesses, and community organizations are encouraged to participate.
Four years after the first drive, the effort continues to grow, fueled by leadership, volunteerism, and a shared commitment to support the families who serve alongside the men and women in uniform. When community leaders step forward and others follow, the result is something powerful: a community standing behind those who defend it.
