The Leader
November 2020: Masonic Outreach

Half the effort, double the impact: When it comes to giving back, the members of Anacapa Lodge No. 710 and Oxnard No. 341 have discovered that collaboration is the key to multiplying their work.

This year, that approach was rewarded as the two Southern California lodges were presented with the Joe Jackson Award, given each year since 2014 by the Masonic Homes to a lodge or member who embodies the late Jackson’s dedication to service. Anacapa and Oxnard lodges have both taken that pledge to heart, but what’s made them stand out is an openness to creativity and partnership that’s seen their philanthropic ventures stretch even further. Says Sabrina Montes, the executive director of Masonic Outreach at the Masonic Homes, “It isn’t the quantity of referrals a lodge makes that matters, but the quality of their outreach efforts. The leadership, involvement with Masonic Outreach Services, and partnering with each other to better serve their communities is what made Anacapa and Oxnard lodges stand out to us.”

The lodges’ outreach efforts are simple—but effective. Because both lodges are located in Oxnard and share a number of members, leaders have formed a single, joint widows committee. Says Oxnard No. 341 master Derek Duke, “By coming together, we were able to pool our resources and make our communication with our widows more effective.” Between invitations to Valentine’s Day dinners, regular check-ins, and lending the occasional helping hand with bills or other concerns, the men of Oxnard and Anacapa have found that in terms of keeping in touch with fraternal family, two sets of hands are better than one. Their collaborative work has continued during the pandemic as well: The lodges teamed up to distribute more than 500 meals to local first responders in their community, including paramedics at five different hospitals in their area.

Building a robust relief program has meant embracing a commitment to consistency, from hosting regular meetings for the Lodge Outreach Services team each year to making sure to send representatives to Masonic Outreach Services divisional meetings. “The regional meetings are really beneficial to us as a lodge,” says Ronaldo Sotomango, master of Anacapa No. 710. “We get a chance to brainstorm with other lodges about creative ways to serve our members.” But it’s also meant building smaller efforts into their lodges’ DNA: things like arranging rides to meetings for elderly members and bringing widows to lodge dinners. Taken all together, the lodges have been able to build a strong regional network of members, widows, and Masonic service providers.

“It isn’t hard,” Sotomango says. “You just have to make service central to what you do as a lodge.”