The Lodge of Dawn sponsored a grant of £5000 from the Masonic Province of Yorkshire West Riding via its Provincial Grand Master’s Fund, on behalf of Leeds Irish Health & Homes.
The £5,000, delivered by Charity Steward W Bro. Michael Rose and Preceptor W Bro. Raymond Diamond (pictured above), has been used to fund food and clothing packs for the local Irish community. The charity wanted to lift people’s spirits at Christmas and reach out to those who were struggling. Leeds Irish Health and Homes came up with the idea of ‘Craic Packs’.
Each Craic Pack contained winter warmth items such as a blanket, gloves, a hat, socks, a torch, a thermal mug, hot water bottle, and Irish food products such as Barry’s Tea bags, Kimberley biscuits, Barm brack, Irish marmalade and Erin soup. The packs also included a wrapped Christmas present, packs of Christmas cards that local school children had created and a Leeds Irish Health and Homes newsletter.
27 volunteers, along with the full staff team, helped to deliver the packs to around 450 people in need. The staff and volunteers were also able to have doorstep conversations and, for those more vulnerable in the community, were able to generate referrals for further support into the service.
Sarah Mcbride, Services Manager at LIH&H said, “we honestly can’t thank The Lodge of Dawn Freemasons enough for the funding you provided. It has enabled us to reach so many people, and reach those most vulnerable who wouldn’t normally ask for help. As an organisation we feel immensely proud to be able to have achieved this with the support from LCC and yourselves.”
The feedback from the many recipients was also very positive;
“Nobody has ever done this for me, thank you. It was a lovely surprise.”
“Thank you for my bag of goodies. I was really pleased with everything. You all do so well. I didn’t expect a craic pack. I have shown all my family. I’m delighted.”
“I was so happy to receive such a pack of goodies. It brought a smile to my face. I just wanted to thank you so much. I could not believe it. It was lovely.”
Leeds Irish Health and Homes is a charitable organisation providing a wide range of Health and Wellbeing services to the Irish and wider community across the city, as well as a housing service managing 52 tenancies on behalf of social landlords in Leeds. One of their primary goals is to enable people to live a fulfilled life as possible within the community’s ethos of care and culture.
Go Raibh Maith Agat.
Charitable giving is a key part of masonic life. You can read more about The Lodge of Dawn’s charitable activity here.
If you are a Leeds-based charity and are interested in applying for a grant, please see our simple guide here.
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