The Maine Masonic Charitable Foundation is an organization for men, but its first and current executive director is a woman — Susan Scacchi.

Scacchi has led the foundation, which is the charitable wing for the Masons in Maine, since 2017. Just last weekend at a barbecue in Poland, the Masons presented a check for $40,000 to Operation Reboot Outdoors, an organization based in Turner that helps veterans enjoy outdoor activities, such as fishing, hunting and other outdoor pursuits.

In three years, the fraternal order has raised $140,000 for the veteran organization.

Operation Reboot Outdoors is one of several nonprofits that receive financial assistance from the Masons. The 174 Masonic lodges throughout the state have provided more than $800,000 in donations and support to local nonprofits, such as veterans, food pantries, homeless shelters and youth programs, Scacchi said.

Locally, there are 29 Masonic lodges in Androscoggin, Oxford and Franklin counties. Four of the lodges are located in the city of Auburn.

Scacchi agreed to answer some questions this past week to discuss the charitable work performed by her group.

Who are the Masons? Masons are men that are seeking to develop stronger relationships within their communities. Freemasons share a set of core principles – brotherly love, relief and truth. While not a religious organization, all Masons believe in a supreme being. As the largest and oldest fraternal order, Freemasonry provides an opportunity for good men to become better. Through their community outreach events like local and regional parades, pancake or hunter’s breakfasts, and charitable events and programs, such as Bikes for Books or the Operation ReBoot Outdoors fundraiser, Freemasons become connected to other members of the community and see the direct impact their efforts can have on the lives of others.

How did you get involved with the Masons? My partner, Kevin, and I bought a house in Kennebunk in 2017. I was looking for an opportunity to give back and be more involved in my community. A friend told me that the Maine Masonic Charitable Foundation was looking for their first full-time executive director and the rest is history.

How did the partnership with Operation Reboot Outdoors start? Two masons from lodges in the western part of Maine – Stephen Cobbett of Paris Lodge #94 and Jonathan Fields of Tyrian Lodge #73, both of whom are veterans, learned about Operation Reboot Outdoors when the founders, Dan and Nicole, did a presentation at one of the lodge meetings back in 2021. Steve and Jon decided this was a nonprofit they wanted to support, and they set out to see if they could motivate other lodges in the area to help them fundraise and maximize the utilization of the matching grants the foundation makes available to all lodges. The foundation’s matching grants program provides up to $5,000 in dollar-to-dollar matching funds to each of the 174 Masonic lodges in Maine to help them further support their communities. Last year this partnership provided over $800,000 to support local nonprofits and community organizations (food pantries, fuel assistance, teen centers, libraries, youth sports programs, drug- and alcohol-free high school graduation celebrations, veterans’ needs, senior centers and literacy programs (the most significant are our Bikes for Books program and the Children’s Dyslexia Centers in Portland and Bangor).

How did you raise $40,000 this year and $140,000 over the past three years? This year, the funds were raised through the sharing of an online fundraising link, individual lodges’ cash donations, combined fundraisers held with the Operation Reboot Outdoors team (golf tournament and fly fishing festival) and the newly formed Widows Sons – Kings Chapter held their inaugural fundraiser motorcycle ride and raised over $6,636. The previous two years were done similarly, through lodge direct donations and fundraising (breakfasts, passing the hat, dinners, and joint fundraisers) and through the sharing of an online link.

Do the Masons raise money for other organizations? Yes, they raise money for thousands of nonprofits and community organizations. In addition to what is listed above under, the foundation also provides direct statewide support for several organizations. This year alone (within the last 12 months), the foundation awarded direct grants to … Big Brothers Big Sisters (mid-Maine and southern Maine) $20,000 to Boy Scouts of America – Camp Roosevelt Swimming Program; $22,000 to Spark – Danceability (inclusive dance program for folks with intellectual disabilities); $12,500 to D.A.R.E Maine for training officers and training materials for the kids; $25,200 to Veterans Initiative; $19,250 Special Olympics Maine (to support the expansion of the United Champion Clubs); $50,000 to UCC = Unified Champion Clubs (our two-year grant total was $150,000).

The Foundation’s Bikes for Books program was run by over 100 of the 174 Masonic lodges in conjunction with over 130 schools and libraries across Maine and this past year we awarded over 1,700 bikes. Students are encouraged to read and for every book they read they get to enter their names to win a new bicycle (and helmet). The total cost of this program annually is over a quarter-of-a-million dollars. The kids, teachers , librarians and Masons love it.

How does one become a Mason? Anyone interested in becoming a Mason should visit the website MaineMason.org or call the Grand Lodge of Maine’s main office at (207) 843-1086. And of course, you can always just ask a Mason.