1813: Masonic lodge "Carl and Charlotte zur Treue" founds charity fund
When people talk about the Offenbach Masonic Lodge "Carl und Charlotte zur Treue", they often refer to its charity association, to which all members of the lodge belong. However, it was only founded in its current legal form in December 1978. However, its origins can be traced back to the time when the lodge was founded. The root is a "charity fund" founded in February 1813.
It supported needy fellow citizens with monetary donations, fought hunger with meat and bread and the cold with wood. In this way, the founders followed the Masonic precepts of humanity, tolerance and compassion. In 1825, the lodge was legally separated from the charity fund. Organized as an independent association, it was now able to accept members who did not belong to the lodge.
There were also additional initiatives with special concerns. In 1850, lodge brothers founded an "Aid Association for the Support of Released Convicts". In 1870, the Franco-Prussian War gave rise to the establishment of an "Association for the Support of the Survivors of Defenders of the Fatherland in the Field". It was driven by the willingness of many Offenbach citizens to help.
Non-Masons were also involved when a committee was formed in 1878 on the initiative of the lodge to provide "poor schoolchildren" with warm footwear during the winter. It was able to provide shoes for as many as 200 children. During the flood disaster of 1883, the lodge organized a lottery for the benefit of the victims.
The fact that there is a street in Offenbach today with the unusual name "Eigenheimstraße" goes back to the lodge. It was Freemasons who founded the "Eigenheim Association" in 1891. Their aim was to alleviate the miserable housing conditions in which many working-class families had to live at the time. The association acquired the land, organized the development and was able to free 23 families from the cramped conditions of the tenements. Additional social services included an after-school care center for boys, a vacation colony and a facility for working girls.
The lodge opened a soup kitchen for needy families during the First World War. In its current articles of association, the lodge is committed to "the promotion of charity, the promotion of cultural, scientific and ecclesiastical purposes, environmental protection and international understanding".
It supports social organizations and institutions such as the youth art school, the "Haus Dietrichsroth" community aid center in Dreieich and Offenbach daycare centers. The Offenbach children's hospital received the funds to purchase a ventilator for babies. For years, the association has also been involved in the ecumenical initiative "Soziale Not in Offenbach - Essen und Wärme für Bedürftige" (Social Need in Offenbach - food and warmth for the needy).
These are just a few examples from a much longer list. The "Carl und Charlotte zur Treue" Masonic Benevolent Society is the owner of the lodge property on Domstrasse. The building is leased to external parties, from whom the lodge rents the rooms it uses. Lothar R. Braun