As part of our commitment to supporting local communities, in July we hosted a fundraising BBQ on behalf of the Masonic Lodge on the Algarve (Peace & Harmony Lodge). We successfully raised over 1000 Euros, which we divided across two local Algarve charities – the animal charity Tiny Shelter and the girls’ hostel, Casa Nossa Senhora Da Conceição (The House of Our Lady of the Conception). The girls’ hostel, located in Portimão (Algarve), was founded on August 4, 1949, by Reverend Manuel Vitorino Correia, then Parish Priest of the Mother Church of Portimão.
Casa Nossa Senhora Da Conceição
The primary objective of the hostel is to provide a safe, secure, and caring home for young girls who have been taken into protective care. It provides physical, intellectual, and emotional support for the girls aged between 10 and 18. Although it receives government funding, it relies on charitable donations even for its basic needs, such as toothpaste, shampoo, and sanitary goods.
Casa Nossa Senhora Da Conceição
As a principle, the lodge does not give money to the charities; instead, they go out and buy the items the charities need and deliver them. In this case, the hostel has a sports play area but little equipment, so with the money we raised at the BBQ, we purchased sports equipment such as tennis rackets and nets, badminton rackets, basketball goal posts, and even basic playground balls. The girls were delighted, and although we couldn’t take photos of them, we did take some shots featuring Anabela Nunes, the hostel manager, enjoying the equipment!
