The Freemasons are known for helping out on a national level, but for the two Rotorua lodges helping collect food for the Rotorua Daily Post Christmas Appeal it's also about lending a hand locally.
Lodge Arawa and Lodge Rotorua have been asking members to bring donations of food over the past few weeks and have collected several hundred dollars worth of food as a result. Immediate past master of Lodge Arawa, Charlie Windell, said they'd been supporting the Christmas appeal for the past few years. "Every time people come up we've been asking them to bring a couple of cans."
Mr Windell said they had also asked people attending the annual Christmas barbecue to bring toys to donate.
Master of Lodge Arawa Kevin Carroll said the Freemasons were well known for helping out on a national scale and this was a great way to give back. "It's about getting back to the grass roots and helping those in the community."
