Although the holiday season has passed with the traditional “season of giving,” recently several Gary families received assistance in feeding their families from members of the local Mason organization.
Joseph Slay, Sovereign Grand Inspector General, Deputy of the Orient of Indiana, Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite Freemasonry Prince Hall Affiliation, Northern Jurisdiction U.S.A., Inc., Valley of Gary, headed a group of Masons determined to be a positive force in the lives of others.
Slay, accompanied by fellow Masons Theodore K. Millard, George W. Clark, Harold R. Jones, and Dennis Whittington, met February 10, 2018 at the Walmart Store, located on Route 30 in Hobart, to purchase groceries for five families.
The organization received a gift in the amount of $2,000 for the purpose of continuing the Masonic Order mission to help the distressed and needy. Slay said, “Our goal was to pay for food for five needy families residing in Gary.”
The mission was to pay for food for the families, and there were rules governing their purchases. One was that recipients were to purchase food only. The other was that their purchase was not to exceed $400.
Diane Cobbs, Carol Cross, Courtney Dunn, Rubie Jackson and Shirley Nelson are heads of household for the families selected to receive assistance. “We were introduced to each other and pictures were taken. The introduction was very humbling,” said Slay.
A Scottish Rite Consistorial Mason accompanied the recipients as they shopped. They engaged in conversations as they navigated the many aisles. A Masonic brother, asked to expound on what he thought about the arrangement replied, “There is no undertaking more deserving of my assistance, or any which I would more gladly support, than one of this nature.”
The recipient families expressed repeatedly how thankful they were to the Masons for their unselfish commitment to them.
