The South Wales Freemasons have provided £22,500 to supply cooked meals to those in need and food to foodbanks during the ongoing Coronavirus pandemic.
This funding has provided daily cooked meals to households and weekly supplies to foodbanks, to help minimise the daily pressure on households across South Wales.
Since starting its “Square Deals” programme in April, the South Wales Freemasons have provided and delivered over 2,500 cooked meals to individuals and households in Cardiff, Penarth, Caerphilly and the South Wales valleys. These are prepared and cooked by the catering staff at Cardiff Masonic Hall and Church Village Caterers, Abercynon, both of whom have given their time free-of-charge to support this cause. The meals are delivered, safely, by a team of 75 volunteer Freemason drivers.
Eleven foodbanks throughout South Wales have also been supported on a weekly basis, by the South Wales Freemasons, with food donations amounting to more than £5,000. The foodbanks supplied include: Cardiff’s Twyn Community Hub, Bridgend’s Fforest Lodge Hub and Butetown’s Community Centre, Cardiff, covering Cardiff and Vale of Glamorgan.
Mike Philips, Chair of the Taff’s Well Village Hall, said:
“Though the pandemic has caused catastrophic problems for many residents in the Taff’s Well and Nantgarw communities, the response from the Freemasons during our hour of need has been truly unbelievable. The one thing I have learnt from these recent events has been in times of hardship, how community spirit kicks in. At the end of the day it’s all about people taking care of people and for this we cannot thank you enough.”
South Wales Freemasons, or more formally the Provincial Grand Lodge (PGL) of South Wales, was founded in the 1720s. Today, the PGL of South Wales has almost 6000 members, based in over 160 lodges within the old counties of Glamorgan, Brecknockshire and Radnorshire.