The Most Worshipful Prince Hall Grand Lodge of the District of Columbia fed Thanksgiving meals to about 400 senior citizens this holiday season, one of many gestures of love among organizations throughout the area.
From Safeway’s Food and Friends event at the Convention Center to fresh turkeys and truckloads of food donated by the Washington Redskins, there was no shortage of charity during the Thanksgiving holiday.
“The Seniors Luncheon is a program that began six years ago,” said Quincy Gant, grand master of the lodge. “I was fortunate enough to be the first chairman and I have watched it continue to grow and get better each year. It’s even more special because it’s Ward 1.”
The holiday meal was held at the Masonic Temple and involved dozens of brothers from many lodges, such as Daniel Johnson, Worshipful Master of the Nathaniel M. Adams Military Lodge #29.
“Faith, hope and charity is what we are about and who we are,” said Johnson, who works as a police officer at Joint Base Anacostia. “It is our responsibility to give back to the community.”
Gant offered special thanks to D.C. Councilwoman Brianne Nadeau, the DC Office on Aging and other volunteers who supported the dinner.
“All the teamwork and time spent preparing the food, decorating and partnering with others to make this work is definitely a labor of love,” Gant said.
In Baltimore, the chaplains of the Baltimore Police Department worked with officers to host a dinner and distribute turkeys and boxes of food to dozens of families at the Marine Corp Reserve Barracks.
But more than the food was the fellowship. Many mothers and children laughed as some of the officers played basketball and attempted to make shots, but the biggest laugh came when City Council President Brandon Scott hit the court and struggled against a young lady who used to play for Coppin State University.