In the late 1980’s and early 1990’s St. Louis Lodge No. 5 was looking for a good way to get the Odd Fellows name out into the public view. Many in the public, when asked, did not know what the Odd Fellows name meant, nor what the Odd Fellows did. An idea then took hold among some of our members, with lodge approval, was to set up a coffee break for traveling motorists at a Missouri Highway rest stop. This would happen on the summer holidays, Memorial Day, July 4th and Labor Day. It would benefit not only the lodge but the motoring public.
In 1990 a group of brothers who were volunteers, led by Brother Mackey L. Bayless, who was an employee of the Missouri Highway Department, set up what would become known as the Safety Coffee Break at the rest stop near Jefferson Barracks on west bound Highway 255. Before setting up the first S.C.B, permission was first obtained from the Missouri Highway Department. Permission was given with the following restrictions; no charges were to be made to the passing motoring public for services offered. No large signs were to be put near the highway without MoDot approval. The rest areas were to be left clean and intact when the S.C.B. was over and each year permission had to be obtained from MoDot before having a S.C.B.
