The Lodge of Dawn has again shown it’s charitable giving by supporting the annual Castle Grove Toy Appeal, answering a call to ensure hundreds of children across Leeds will receive at least one present this festive season.
As we all know, Castle Grove is currently closed due to the pandemic, so toy appeal co-ordinator organiser Graham Shiers, from our mother lodge, Loyalty, suggested monetary contributions instead. The total amount raised topped £2,700 plus donations of brand new clothing and toys.
The number of charities supported this year by the Castle Grove Toy Appeal went from five charities to six, with Leeds Baby Bank, PhysCap Children’s Charity and Homeless Street Angels now benefitting. Previous recipients have included Leeds Children’s Hospital, Martin House Hospice Care for Children and Young People, Leeds Children’s Charity, Leeds Jewish Welfare Board and Barnardo’s.Through the generosity of Freemasons across West Yorkshire, the appeal was able to buy over 900 toys and gifts, plus, from one major manufacturer, five huge cartons of bath toys and children’s feeding sets. The gifts were delivered included:
- The Leeds Children’s Hospital – received toys, books, toiletries;
- Leeds Baby Bank – received toys, feeding sets and essential baby products including nappies, baby wipes, nappy sacks, nappy cream, baby shampoo/lotion/wash to provide packs of essentials for families in need over the Christmas period;
- Leeds Children’s Charity which looks after children from the most deprived areas of Leeds – received toys, books, toiletries, pyjamas, hats, scarves, gloves and blankets;
- The Leeds Jewish Welfare Board – received Chanukah toys, books, toiletries, pyjamas, hats, scarves, gloves for 24 children under their care;
- PhysCap Children’s Charity – received 225 foam glow sticks for Broomfield SILC (Specialist inclusive learning centres). The children require sensory gifts due to their complex needs;
- Homeless Street Angels – we donated a large number of toys, gifts, toiletries, pyjamas, hats, scarves and gloves for five families under their care, including a girl (11) and her brother (16) whose mother left when they were very young and whose father recently passed away and a girl of 10 whose mother killed herself two years ago and whose father lost his job due to struggling with child care and has nothing for her.
Pictured below are our Worshipful Master, Rob Phillips, with Graham Shiers, delivering gifts and toys to Leeds Jewish Welfare Board.
Graham said “We are also now helping four families via Homeless Street Angels, including a single dad whose partner killed herself two years ago. He lost his job due to struggling with child care – he has a ten-year-old daughter and has nothing for her so we’ll make sure she has a good Christmas.”
“And with many Jewish Freemasons meeting at Castle Grove, I’m once again delighted that Leeds Jewish Welfare Board will again receive Chanukah gifts for the 24 children under its care.”
He added “Despite all the hardships that Covid has inflicted, not only has the local membership risen to the occasion, it has done so to the power of ten, and I couldn’t be more grateful. “Never in all my years of being a Freemason have I been prouder of being a member of this wonderful fraternity.”
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