HFAF in Lockdown

When we issued a Suspension Notice of all masonic activity on 17th March, like many people we thought it would only be for a few months and then it became obvious from the severity of the situation that we were going to be without meetings for many months.  

We knew that our members who were not shielding would rise to the occasion and help their communities and many of them did just that. Some who had retired from the NHS returned to work. Many helped by joining their local COVID-19 Action Groups  and delivered food parcels and collected shopping and prescriptions. Others provided home-baked treats, all lovingly labelled to go in the bags of goodies delivered to local hubs for distribution. One brother who is a highly qualified driving instructor offered to be a volunteer ambulance driver, she was eventually assigned the role of assessing the volunteer ambulance drivers, which in the event was never put  to the test  which proved happily that the NHS was not overwhelmed.

Others gave thought to the NHS staff working on the front line and provided kit bags for their uniforms and bags of toiletries and essentials for patients taken into hospital as emergency admissions.

  Our lodge in India gave financial support to the Prime Minister’s Care Fund and together with the local men’s lodge funded daily meals and grants to migrant workers who were of course trapped in Delhi unable to get home.  They distributed face masks to the needy in Gurugram, Haryana.

One of our most entertaining stories of volunteering must surely be The Made With Love Chicken Soup Run. What started out as a friendly neighbourhood gesture, making Chicken Soup, (a.k.a. Jewish Penicillin) for six neighbours living alone quickly became a mini cottage industry when W Bro Lesley was asked by her daughter-in-law’s mother Yochy to help her expand this project still further. So each bag now contains two days of Soup, Matzah Balls, a bag of croutons, a Challah bread, Potato Latkas, Fruit Salad and a home -made cake. Each bag is labelled with the recipient’s name and includes a personalised message. Volunteer drivers were recruited to deliver the Made With Love bags. Local suppliers rose to the occasion and donated chickens, bread and vegetables. The local community provided fresh fruit. Lesley says that she has made lots of friends amongst those in her local community who needed assistance. At the last count they were delivering upwards of 90 parcels in Essex and now have a hub in NW London too. The bags have been delivered to people of all faiths. This is a prime example of what happens when communities pull together.

Brother Janina Hahn (Constance Leaver Lodge No.39: shown on the left) donated Euro 250.00 in the name of HFAF to the Ambulantes Children’s Hospice in Munich. Janina used to volunteer there but her studies at Uni are preventing that right now. To quote Janina: “I think especially children deserve good support as they have sometimes only lived for a few years. The money offers the opportunity to fulfill a wish and to experience the beauty of life so that they can at least enjoy the rest of their time as much as possible”. What a wonderful thing to do and thank you Janina, for doing it in our name. 

As a Fraternity we have made donations to local charities supporting NHS frontline staff and the homeless and vulnerable. Our caterer at HQ, Oli’s Kitchen funded by us made hundreds of meals for NHS staff. We are supporting Goods for Goods and Unitas Youth Zone in their work in supporting front line NHS staff, carers and the vulnerable.

We are at present asking our brethren during lockdown to continue to contribute individually to our Grand Charity assisted by Lodges and Chapters making lump sum donations. We are researching an NHS Charity which is specifically concerned with staff welfare as we feel that NHS staff have gone above and beyond the call of duty to care for the nation.