In its third year, the employee-led Lozier Community Grant program supported 57 nonprofit organizations across the country in 2024. Recipients were selected by employee committees in all five Lozier locations. These are the 2024 recipient organizations’ stories of impact. 

McClure is proud of its living memorial to Veterans of all wars at the annual Bean Soup Fair. The McClure Bean Soup Fair started in the Pennsylvania town in 1883 where a group of Civil War veterans organized a Grant Army of the Republic Post. In 1891 the group invited the public to celebrate in their bean soup festival, a dinner of Civil War origins.

Fast forward to today, thousands gather at the McClure Bean Soup fairgrounds each year to witness the tradition. The historic soup is made just like it was in the 1800s – in large iron kettles over wood fires.

“Our furnaces can hold up to 16, 35 gallon kettles when we make our key attraction, the bean soup,” Board Member Desiree Ewig said. “Repairing the furnaces is key to continue making the bean soup the traditional way, allowing us to continue promoting Pennsylvania’s agriculture and the countless volunteers working hard to keep our fair alive.”

The Lozier Community Grant helped the fair make much needed repairs to the cookhouse where the bean soup is prepared. The project also brought in students from the local technical school who got experience in masonry techniques as they completed the repairs necessary for the Bean Soup Fair to continue its traditions

For more information on the McClure Bean Soup Fair visit the group’s website. Click here to learn more about the Lozier Community Grant program.