Charity
From its earliest days Freemasonry has promoted charitable work and today we make a major contribution to society locally, nationally and internationally. There are few organisations that concentrate so much on raising funds internally and nearly all the money we raise comes from our own efforts. Freemasons are reminded of the importance of charity and care for those less fortunate that ourselves from the moment they join and the practical application of this includes many donations to other charities and members playing an active role in their communities. In fact in England and Wales, Freemasons have given more to other charities than any charity with the exception of the National Lottery.
Individual and Lodge Giving
At Lodge meetings an alms bag is circulated and members will make a small donation of their own choosing (usually just a few pounds). There may be a raffle or similar at the dinner after Lodge. The Lodge may arrange fund-raising functions or all the Lodges that meet in a District may arrange larger fund raising events. In any case, collectively the Freemasons in the Province manage to raise large sums of money each year which are used for charitable purposes. The Lodge is a private entity and as such it is the brethren of each individual Lodge who decide where they will donate their charity funds.
Some of the charities that have benefited from monies collected:
Rochdale Springhill Hospice, Help for Heroes, Sky Light Circus, St Aidan’s Church, Rochdale Children's Moorland Home, Breast Cancer Campaign, Adam Kutereba Fund, Air Ambulance Service, Anderson Band, Bleakholt Animal Sanctuary, Cancer Research UK,Caritas, Children with Diabetes, Christian Aid, Francis House Children's Hospital, Greater Manchester Police Charity, Heywood Scouts, Jumbulance Trust, Northern Cleft Foundation, NSPCC, Oldham Bereavement Support, Parkinson Society,etcetc.
It is estimated that Freemasons under the United Grand Lodge of England donate somewhere between £15M and £20M each year to charity.