Freemasons of Ballymena Support Those in Need with Essential Bag Drop
A group of Freemasons from five different lodges in the Ballymena area have come together to provide much needed bags of food and essential items for those in the local community who are struggling to make ends meet.
So far, they have donated a total of £2000 worth of goods which equates to 200 bags delivered to those in need and the group expect to do the same again in the coming days.
Organised by Freemason, Alistair Wade and his wife Flo, the husband and wife duo have been inundated with support for their initiative. Alistair says;
“We decided we needed to do something to help those in need in our community and were delighted to receive a donation of £2000 from the Ballymena Masonic Bar and the Ballymena Hall trustees, we now have more donations flooding in for a total of five Freemason halls and private donations also. It is our aim that we’ll hit the £4000 mark and that we can deliver a total of 400 bags of essentials locally.”
The bags are being handed out to a combination of older Freemasons who may be at home shielding, widows of past Freemasons who the organisation continuous support to and also those within the community who are simply struggling with life during the pandemic.
One such family has been the Gilmour family who have been shielding with their daughter Olivia who has a heart problem since the lockdown began. Mum Diane from Cullybackey says;
“It was so thoughtful of the Freemasons to be thinking of others like ourselves when life is so difficult for everyone. The groceries, which included both food and cleaning products, apart from being practical, are lovely thought and it’s nice to know that others are thinking of us as a family. Life is challenging and difficult for us generally as we care for our daughter but even more so in a pandemic! We are so thankful for the generosity of the Freemasons at this time.”
Flo goes on to explain;
“This project has been a great success and we hope that it will continue even after the lockdown starts to lift further, life has changed for us all and none of us know what our new normal will really look like, having the Freemason’s providing their support to this project means we have a network of individuals who are putting the needs of others at the forefront, we hope the project will grow and we welcome any and all further support that can be offered to make sure out friends and neighbours are cared for.”
To help the Freemasons continue with this incredible project please contact Alistair Wade from Lodge 149 on 079 7721 6070
