LYNN – Sisters Janice Lark, Joanne Douglas, and the late Julie Epps started the Flora Epps Giving Fund in honor of their late mother to support low-income students and their families.
This year, the organization bought Christmas presents for two families living in Curwin Circle, which is where the Epps family grew up.
“We do a lot of things, but this is kind of special because we grew up in Curwin Circle and now we’re helping families in Curwin Circle,” Lark said. “My mother received help when we were living there, so it’s great to be able to give back.”
Lark and her sisters started the organization in 2014, after their mother died in 2011.
“We just felt like we didn’t want her to be gone,” Lark said. “When we had her (funeral) services, people would comment on how kind she was and things like that. So, we just decided that we would help other people because mom always tried to help other people, even though we didn’t have much.”
Flora Epps raised her three daughters as a single mom in Curwin Circle, and showed them how important it was to be kind and generous.
Even though the family didn’t have much, Lark said if someone wanted to eat over, or needed a place to stay, her mother was always offering to help.
“She was just so kind,” Lark said.
One of the things their mother would always say when she saw people in need was that if she had the money, she would do so much more to help — which is what influenced the creation of the giving fund.
Lark and her sisters started the organization by asking for donations from friends and family to help adopt families for Christmas and host other events throughout the year.
When choosing families to help this Christmas, the organization reached out to Kay Rowe at the Lynn Housing Authority to recommend families that needed help this holiday season.
The board of the Flora Epps Giving Fund then spoke with the parents of the two chosen families to see what the kids were like and what kind of gifts they would want.
“We don’t buy them electronics like iPads or iPhones, but when they’re a kid that young, any present is a good present,” Lark said.
When the organization began, Lark lived in California, so she and her sisters were helping local families in Massachusetts as well as some out west.
In addition to buying Christmas gifts for kids each year, the Flora Epps Giving Fund has also donated backpacks, college book scholarships and school supplies to students.
The organization always looks to help low-income students, working with guidance counselors and organizations that support low-income families.
This past year, they donated more than 35 backpacks.
“When you see those kids get the backpacks, especially the little ones, it’s like Christmas,” Lark said.
Lark’s sister is a teacher and said the saddest thing is when you see a kid in class with a backpack and a bunch of school supplies, but then a kid without a backpack or any school supplies because it can be really expensive.
“When you start school, you’re more confident if you have everything you need,” Lark said. “Kids just want to be like everyone else, so whatever we can do to help is great.”
To learn more about the Flora Epps Giving Fund, visit the Facebook page at www.facebook.com/eppsfund/.
Allysha Dunnigan can be reached at [email protected]
