The United Grand Lodge of England’s official podcast came to Peterborough in September, to catch up with Three Pillars Feeding The Homeless Charity founder, Ged Dempsey and see the feed in action.
In each episode of ‘Craftcast:The Freemasons Podcast’, Shaun Butler, James Dalton and Stephen Whatley talk all things Freemasonry. They ask the big questions, talk about their experiences and interview special guests from across UGLE. Shaun and James thought it high time that that headed up the A1 to meet Ged and find out what The Three Pillars Charity was all about.
They discovered the back story of how it was founded, focusing on supporting homeless individuals across the Province of Northamptonshire and Huntingdonshire. Three Pillars distribute hot food, bedding, and clothing to those in need through mobile catering vehicles, and also a church building in Northampton. Volunteers play a crucial role in this effort, helping to provide essential supplies such as blankets, toiletries and clothing. The organisation was established to address the urgent needs of the homeless community and relies on community support and donations to continue its work.
The charity began in 2016, in a Peterborough car park, and run a food van every Tuesday and Thursday night from Dickens Street car park on the edge of the city, as well as their other bases in St Neots, Northampton and soon Wellingborough. After recording the Craftcast episode at Peterborough Masonic Centre, Ellindon, and meeting the centre’s Chef, Artur - who prepares all the meals for the feeds - Shaun and James travelled across the city to see the feed for themselves, meet some of the volunteers and, importantly, the street friends who benefit from the charity. The Craftcast presenters were able to experience first hand the level of Community Engagement that The Three Pillars is able to deliver, week in week out, by generous donations from Freemasons and other volunteers of time, food, and provisions such as sleeping bags, tents, clothing and even pet food.
This episode, as well as the rest of ‘Craftcast’ Season 5 is available from Thursday 27th November, along with past seasons, on the UGLE website, You Tube, and other popular podcast sites. Catch up on Craftcast: https://tinyurl.com/5v9zwj57