Worthing freemasons team up with Worthing WI to help Worthing Food Foundation

Roger Green, from the Ordinges Masonic Lodge, organised the initiative at The Charmandean Centre in Broadwater.

He said: “Charity is at the heart of what we do as freemasons and as a lodge, we wanted to actively support our local community through these difficult times.

“Everyone rallied round and we raised voluntary donations of both money and food from lodge members and their families. It’s been a magnificent effort by all concerned and I would like to thank everyone for their amazing support.”

His wife, Jacky Green, is treasurer of Worthing WI and her group was happy to support the initiative.

She said: “We actively support local charities, so we were delighted to be able to join with the local freemasons in supporting the Worthing community.”

The foundation is a volunteer-led food bank and part of the Les Alden Foundation charity.

Peter Eustice, chairman of the Les Alden Foundation, said: “The food foundation is an independent Worthing food bank run by local people. It didn’t exist before Covid, but grew out of a covid support group.

“Now we are fast approaching supplying 6,000 meals a month and that doesn’t take account of the roughly 500 school meal lunches that we also supply each month.

“We are so enormously grateful for the time, effort and generosity that the Ordinges Lodge freemasons and the Worthing Women’s Institute have given to supporting us and the Worthing community.”

Three trailer loads, worth almost £800, were delivered to Worthing Food Foundation before Christmas.