Promoting the Fraternity across the World
A record number of charities will receive a hand up to continue their important work in the community, as Hand Heart Pocket the Charity of Freemasons Queensland provides close to $700,000 in emergency support and Community Grants in the wake of COVID-19.
Shropshire’s Freemasons have donated more than £44,000 to help local food banks and have created and distributed more than 1,700 visors to care homes during the coronavirus pandemic.
In late 2019, Terrigal Surf Life Saving Club approached Freemasons again, requesting assistance in purchasing another IRB, as their current IRB, the ‘Freemason I’, was now five years old and a new IRB design had been proven to be more appropriate to surf conditions in their area.
Nearly 5,000 visors have already been produced with help from the Freemasons, who have adapted their business production lines to meet demand.
he Sturt-Buninyong lodge of Freemasons Victoria donated 90 woolen blankets, valued at more than $4400, to Uniting Ballarat on Friday.
Lodge secretary Ron Fleming said the donation, which resulted from funds raised through the lodge’s annual fruit sale, came at a critical time.
FREEMASONS who raided their own supplies of special projector film to help make much needed visors for hospital staff are appealing for donations to make more.
The medical staff at James Cook University Hospital in Middlesbrough were using up their supply of see-through face visors quicker than they could get further replacements.
The money will go to charity Wiltshire Portage to fund regular home visits for four extra families each week as part of the organisation’s Waiting List Programme.
The money will be used to purchase a new advanced testing machine from America, which will accept blood samples from NHS hospitals to verify whether people have already had the virus.
The machine, a ‘Dynex high volume pipette diluter’, will boost testing from 600 to over 2,000 a day and will help the community once it has checked NHS and care workers.
After an initiative introduced last year by district charity steward John Taylor, members were encouraged to donate either food or financial support for the local foodbank: each item was measured with an overall target of reaching one mile – Miles More Food from The Freemasons.
To all poor and distressed brethren, Wheresoever they may be, On the land, the sea or in the air. A speedy relief from their suffering, And a safe return…