Simon Nash and Ini Akpan of the Provincial Grand Lodge Northern Division hand over donations of new clothes to Annette Brokensha and Oscar Lockwood of the Johannesburg Children’s Home.
The Provincial Grand Lodge Northern Division of the Grand Lodge of South Africa, the local chapter of the Freemason’s organisation, recently made a number of meaningful donations in the greater Johannesburg area by donating blankets and warm clothes to those in need.
Conscious of the impact the cold weather has on the less fortunate members of society, these Freemasons raised a considerable sum of money one cold weekend towards the end of June under the banner of a blanket drive.
The money raised was used to provide 150 blankets to the grateful recipients of the Walking Tall feeding scheme in Johannesburg south, a further 150 went to the Masonic Services’ charity and 35 to the Angels Home for Orphans in Pretoria.
But according to Simon Nash of the Provincial Grand Lodge Northern Division, the cherry on the cake was when the Johannesburg Children’s Home politely refused blankets as they already have a sufficient number for their children, but said the children really do need warm clothes.
With the help of Mr Price Woodmead and a list of clothing sizes, one of the senior members of the provincial grand lodge managed to purchase a new warm outfit for each of the children currently at the home.
When these were delivered to the Johannesburg Children’s home, managing director of the home, Annette Brokensha, commented that for many of these children this will be the first time they get to remove the label from clothes given to them, in other words, the first time they will have received newly bought clothes.
Simon Nash of the Provincial Grand Lodge Northern Division said, “The fraternity was delighted to have been able to make a meaningful contribution to all of these lives, and [we] hope to be able to do the same again in the future.”
The Provincial Grand Lodge also sponsors meals for 120 people each month at the Walking Tall feeding scheme.