Brooklyn Mechanics Order feeds homeless on Thanksgiving Day

The Brooklyn District Grand Lodge of Brooklyn-headquartered Grand Council of the Independent United Order of Mechanics, Friendly Society of North, Central and South America, Islands of the Seas and the Entire Western Hemisphere, Inc., known by the abbreviation IUOM, FSWH, Inc., on Thursday, Thanksgiving Day, provided warm meals and clothing to homeless people and members of the community.

Officials of the Executive Committee of Grand Council told Caribbean Life, at IUOM’s headquarters, on Putnam Avenue in the Bedford-Stuyvesant section of Brooklyn, that many of the people fed were members of the surrounding communities.

Panamanian-born Hon. Orlando Maxwell, chair of the Thanksgiving Day Committee, said that Guyanese-born Hon. Myrthland Ince, district grand master for Brooklyn District Grand Lodge, assigned him to spearhead the committee. Ince welcomed and thanked attendees and volunteers.

The annual tradition, for over 30 years, started with the late Ven. Ancil Harding, then Trinidadian-born District Grand Master of the District, and have continued over the years, with subsequent District Grand Masters.

This year was the third time under Ince’s leadership, along with Maxwell as committee chairman.

This year, the Brooklyn District Grand Lodge teamed up with members of the Brooklyn New Horizon Lions Club, who also donated personal items to the needy.

“This is a good thing when we can come together with the same goal to give back to those in need,” Ince told Caribbean Life.

In addressing the gathering, he said: “Thanksgiving is when we give back to the less fortunate. It’s always a blessing when we give back”

Ince welcomed all and introduced Rt. Hon. Glenver Jones, the Jamaican-born Deputy Master of the Order, who addressed the event and introduced fellow Executive Councilors and Venerable Past Grand Masters.

Jones spoke on behalf of the international leader, his compatriot, Rt. Hon. Errol G. Collins, giving much kudos to the Brooklyn District Grand Lodge that has maintained this tradition for a number of years.

“It dawned on me that Brooklyn District Grand Lodge is one of the districts, over the years, that has carried out our motto (feeding the homeless, among others), and I want you to continue this tradition,” he said, also congratulating members of the New Horizon Lions Club for their decision in collaborating with the Mechanics Order in giving back to the community.

Rt. Hon. Casper Edwards, the Vincentian-born Executive Grand Treasurer of the 267-year-old international fraternal organization, headquartered in Bedford-Stuyvesant, said: “This demonstration of giving back and feeding those who are less fortunate among us is a part of the mission of our Order, and is highlighted in the preamble of our general laws.

“We’ve been doing this for 36 years,” he added. “There are still people who need.

“We still have to keep it going,” Edwards continued. “It does not take a lot. It’s a great thing.”

As he feasted on turkey and collared greens, among other mouth-watering delicacies, Shawn Lewis, 61, originally from Richmond, VA, said he has not missed the Thanksgiving Dinner in the last 10 years.

“I always enjoy the Thanksgiving Dinner,” he told Caribbean Life. “I don’t skip a beat for over 10 years.”

Sitting in an adjacent chair and also feasting on the dinner, Lewis’s friend, Joseph Cunningham, a Bedford-Stuyvesant native, said he, too, looks forward to the delicious meal every year.

“I’ve been coming a long time,” said Cunningham, disclosing that he once lived in St. Thomas in the United States Virgin Islands. “The food is good.”

One member of the Brooklyn New Horizon Lions Club said: “This collaboration of community service was very easy, because we meet here at this location for our monthly meetings; and because some of our members are also members of the fraternity, including Sis. Shirley Carmino, one of our past presidents, it was very easy to make this happen.”

Maxwell said he was “very pleased with the success this year.

“The rain did not stop the folks from coming in to get their home-cooked meal”, he said. “I thank all the members of the committee, a group of dedicated brothers and sisters who worked very hard to make this happen.

“We have a lot of volunteers serving, who are friends or relatives of members who are present,” he added.

“Today, my entire family is here with me,” Maxwell continued. “My wife, my daughter and my son are here to support and serve those who come in. I look forward to many, many more years of serving the less-fortunate within our community.”

Sis. Hyacinth Robinson-Goldson, the Order’s Jamaican-born community liaison, said: “This tradition of community service is very admirable.

“I applaud the Brooklyn District for keeping this tradition alive,” she added.