Local Shriners Recognize Lakeside Meats

By Michele Robertson

Many area organizations and nonprofits focus on children and quality of life, including the Carlsbad Shrine Club. Member Harold Klaus shared some club information and their top contributor for the “stuff the box” program which goes on all year long.

Organizers assure that when someone sees the red boxes at area businesses labeled “Shrine Children’s Hospitals transportation fund,” every cent collected goes to helping families in need.

“Shriners are a brotherhood of men committed to family, engaged in ongoing personal growth, and dedicated to providing care for children and families in need, Klaus said.

“Our backgrounds and interests are diverse, but we are bound together by our shared values, our membership in Freemasonry, and a desire to have fun, do good, and build relationships that can last a lifetime,” he added.

“The Carlsbad Shrine Club recognized Lakeside Meats as their top stuff the box contributor. The boxes you see around town support the local shrine and our ability to assist families to travel to the nationwide Shriner Hospital. They have a small box, and it is always filled with donations that fold. We were very happy to present them with this honor as a token of our appreciation,” he said. (Dollar bills fold, change jingles, Klaus explained.)

The Shrine Club noted that Lakeside Meats has had a box located in their business for over 30 years. “We may be known for our parades and the red Fez, but our real purpose is supporting children in need through the Shriners Hospitals for Children®, a health system of 22 hospitals and care centers throughout the United States, Canada, and Mexico,” he said.

“We are a fraternity based on fun, fellowship, and the Masonic principles of brotherly love, relief, and truth, with nearly 200 temples (chapters) around the world,” added Klaus. Area businesses help in their mission by placing boxes in their establishments.

“It’s important people understand when they buy onions, hamburgers, or fries at the events, a Shriners Circus, or stuff the box, what they are supporting is our club and the network of Shriners hospitals. Also, we like waves in the parades!” he said.

“Your New Mexico Shriners support children throughout our state and from northern Mexico through local outreach clinics and by assisting families with transportation to whichever of our medical facilities they need to visit,” Klaus added.

About Shriners

The Shriners’ website notes, “Shriners International founded Shriners Hospitals for Children as its official philanthropy in 1922. What began as one hospital is now a world-renowned health care system with permanent locations in three countries and additional patient connections through outreach clinics and telehealth sites around the world. Nearly 100 years after its founding, the fraternity continues to support Shriners Hospitals for Children, which provides pediatric specialty care, regardless of the families’ ability to pay. Though the majority of Shriners are in North America, Shriners can be found on six continents, and international development is on the rise, with Bolivia, Brazil, Germany, Panama, and the Philippines all having established vibrant temples.”

To learn more about New Mexico Shriners and the work they do, visit the website https://sites.google.com/view/nmshriners. Interested in joining? To become one, ask one.