With 15 past masters on its membership rolls along with two district inspectors, Andres Bonifacio № 879 has no shortage of leadership experience. Fittingly, then, despite having only received its charter in 2021, the lodge has already made its mark as one of the state’s most philanthropic, both locally and through the California Masonic Foundation.

“As past masters, we all know the importance of duty and when to extend that helping hand to those in need,” says current lodge master Edwin Senga. “We also know the challenges and mistakes that come with being a past master, so we try to be the best examples for the brethren to follow.” 

As a 100 percent officer-giving lodge, all officers of the lodge pledge an individual yearly gift to the California Masonic Foundation to support the Masonic Homes of California as well as statewide literacy programs, scholarship, and other youth outreach. 

Those aren’t the only community efforts the lodge takes on. In August, the lodge hosted Malalakbay Na Gurong Mason (Tagalog for “the Traveling Master Mason”), the largest annual Filipino Masonic gathering in California. There, the lodge raised $12,000 in donations, with a majority of the proceeds going to renovate the Long Beach Scottish Rite Cathedral. And in July, the lodge hosted its second annual blood drive with the Red Cross, breaking its previous mark with 42 blood donations. Last March, the lodge partnered with local nonprofit Recycle for Veterans for a beach cleanup at Belmont Shores in Long Beach. 

This year, the sky’s the limit for lodge activity, says treasurer Edmund Leviste. “We’re still confirming things for next year—a charity golf tournament, an essay contest for seventh graders in Long Beach… But the goal is the same: keep giving.”