Oddfellows Orangeville, Ontario .

05/28/2026

Maple Leaf Lodge #57 in Orangeville was out doing what they do best today- relieving the distressed. Today Gene Dopp from Maple Leaf Lodge popped by Princess Margaret Public School today with a cheque for $2000 to help with the breakfast program. Not every child gets a breakfast at home. There are a lot of households that sometimes have to pay their rent before buying food. The Oddfellows have 4 major edicts that go back to their formation in the early 1800’s. They are: bury the dead , educate the orphan, visit the sick and relieve the distressed. These may seem strange however going back to their formation in the early 1800’s - these 4 things were needed. As we know- people still need help with things like getting groceries. The Orangeville Oddfellows currently support food banks in Caledon, Cambridge, Orangeville, Thunder Bay and Brampton. They also support a youth drop in Centre , 2 organizations that feed people lunches and a school breakfast program. In Orangeville since 1870- they are one of the best kept secrets.
On the remarks part of the cheque at the bottom left we wrote “ No one should go to school hungry “
Why not join us in helping others?

05/21/2026

Knowledge truly is power, and our recent tour of the Orangeville Food Bank and Dufferin Food Share opened our eyes to the scale of the food security challenges right here in our backyard. Thank you to the team for showing us your operations and for the incredible work you do every day.

Our Order’s foundational command is to "relieve the distressed," guided by the principles of Friendship, Love, and Truth. Seeing the dedication of local food banks firsthand reminds us that fulfilling this mandate requires constant, community-wide action.

While Maple Leaf Lodge #57 is proud to back the Orangeville Food Bank with our recent $2,000 donation, grassroots organizations, shelters, and school nutrition programs across the province are all facing unprecedented demand. They don't just need financial aid—they need our collective time and talents to keep moving forward.

If you are looking for a way to put empathy into action, please consider supporting these vital lifelines:

Orangeville Food Bank & Dufferin Food Share

The Lighthouse - Community Meal Program (Orangeville)

Princess Margaret Public School (PMPS) Food Programs (Orangeville)

Family Transition Place (Orangeville/Dufferin)

Choices Youth Shelter & Support Services (Orangeville)

Youth Unlimited YFC (Dufferin/Orangeville)

The Exchange (CCS) (Bolton/Caledon)

Alliston Food Bank

Knights Table (Brampton)

Cambridge Food Bank

The Dew Drop Inn (Thunder Bay)

Regional Food Distribution Association (Thunder Bay)

Whether you organize a neighborhood food drive, volunteer for a shift, offer your professional skills, or provide financial backing, your involvement makes a tangible difference to an Ontario family.

Let's live our mandate. Connect with one of these local hubs today to see where your hands and resources can do the most good.

A big thank you to IOOF Maple Leaf Lodge #57 (Odd Fellows) for their generous $2,000 donation 🙌

They also joined us for a tour—and let’s just say… knowledge really is power 💛

Because the best kind of advocacy starts with understanding.

05/21/2026

Thank you, Caledon Community Services and The Exchange, for the warm welcome and for your vital work.

As Odd Fellows, we are guided by our Three Links—Friendship, Love, and Truth. Our official command is to "Visit the sick, relieve the distressed, bury the dead, and educate the orphan." Today, fulfilling that mandate means stepping up to relieve the food insecurity and emergency shelter crises facing families, youth, and school children across Ontario.

While Maple Leaf Lodge #57 is proud to support Caledon locally via The Exchange, the need spans far wider. If you are looking to practice our principles, these dedicated organizations need your financial support, volunteer time, and professional talent:

The Exchange (CCS) (Bolton/Caledon)

Orangeville Food Bank

The Lighthouse - Community Meal Program (Orangeville)

Princess Margaret Public School (PMPS) Food Programs (Orangeville)

Family Transition Place (Orangeville/Dufferin)

Choices Youth Shelter & Support Services (Orangeville)

Youth Unlimited YFC (Dufferin/Orangeville)

Alliston Food Bank

Knights Table (Brampton)

Cambridge Food Bank

The Dew Drop Inn (Thunder Bay)

Regional Food Distribution Association (Thunder Bay)

Whether you write a cheque, donate high-priority shelf items, or give your time and skills to support operations—every action directly impacts an Ontario family.

Let's live our mandate. Reach out to a local hub today to find out how you can best contribute.

Wowza! A Tuesday morning surprise that truly warmed our hearts.

You may recognize Joe from our Coldest Night of the Year walk, always showing up with a smile and a big heart. Yesterday, he stopped by with something incredible: a generous $2,000 donation from Maple Leaf Lodge #57 – Grand Lodge of Ontario, Independent Order of Odd Fellows.

Because of this gift, more families will have meals on the table, more children will head to school with full lunch bags and more neighbours will get the hand up they need during difficult times.

Acts of kindness like this remind us what community is all about. Thank you Joe and thank you to Maple Leaf Lodge #57 for making such a meaningful difference!

The Exchange

05/20/2026

You may remember a couple weeks ago we posted birthday greetings to a member of our Lodge who is in Orangeville Northwest formally Algoma Lodge in. Thunder Bay.
Brother Ken Moffatt celebrated his 100th birthday a few weeks back. We decided that in his honour we would make some donations up in Thunder Bay. We gave the Dew Drop In $500 ( $5 for each of Ken’s 100 years) That’s Ken on the left hand side of the picture that’s on the right along with our Vice Grand Brother Randy Ellis who is on the right in the photo.
After dropping off the cheque for $500 at the Dew Drop In Ken and Randy went over to the Regional Food Distribution Centre and dropped off another cheque this one for $2000 to help buy some groceries for the needy up in Thunder Bay. Why not join us in helping others. We are in need of new members .

05/20/2026

Many people have no idea what the Oddfellows do in our community. You probably don’t even realize that we’re in at least 26 countries around the world. We have been in Orangeville since March of 1870. That’s right over 150 years of helping the citizens ( our neighbours and friends) of our community. A few years ago, the Lodge in Thunder Bay , Ontario was in danger of closing due to declining membership. They contacted me and asked how we could help save their Lodge. So what they did was join our Lodge by amalgamation. That meant that Algoma Lodge number 267 no longer existed - it became part of Maple Leaf Lodge #57. Ee now have Orangeville Northwest. The same thing happened with the Lodge in Brampton, Golden Star #101. They had declining numbers, but did not want to close so they joined us as well. What does that mean for the people in those communities? Well, in Brampton, we are still able to support the Knight‘s Table which is a food bank/soup kitchen to help needy, families and Street people. When Golden Star Lodge joined us that meant thousands of dollars remaining in their community to help people. In Thunder Bay we support the Dew Drop In every time there’s five Thursdays in a month and feed needy people a good roast beef lunch. On top of that we donate thousands of dollars to the Regional Food Distribution Centre in Thunder Bay, which helps needy families put food on their tables.
In Orangeville, we support the Lighthouse Ministry on Broadway both through cash donations and when there’s five Thursdays in the month, we too put on a roast beef dinner for our friends who are needy. We also support the The Door youth drop in center, the Orangeville Food Bank, the Princess Margaret Public school breakfast program and food banks in Alliston, Caledon and Cambridge.
We have sponsored minor sports teams for years in Orangeville. We used to be partnered up in the Orangeville Wolves annual golf tournament with another organization in town. The money raised from that we would give to the Salvation Army at Christmas time. Our Hall at 24 Elizabeth Street provides us with rental income to be able to do these things. None of us gets a salary. Just our Cleaner. We are all volunteers and several members have been members for well over 40 years. When you drive by our hall and you see the sign of the window that says the Rotary Club meets here it’s true, they do. They are long-term renters and they meet the second and fourth Tuesdays of the month in our Hall. If you’re interested in learning more about the Oddfellows and are considering getting involved in giving back to your community contact me on here.
Gene

05/12/2026

What have the Oddfellows in Orangeville been up to lately? Well… April had 5 Thursdays so that meant we travelled over to the Lighthouse Ministry on Broadway Ave and cooked a complete roast beef dinner for our friends who may not get an opportunity to have a nice hot dinner. We had mashed potatoes, gravy and carrots cooked in brown sugar and butter! Top that off with a huge cake for dessert!
Then we dropped by the Orangeville Food Bank to see our friend Heather. We gave Heather a cheque to help our friends and neighbours that may find buying groceries a bit difficult in these hard times. We have been serving the Orangeville community since 1870!

04/26/2026

Happy 100th birthday today to a member of our lodge- Brother Ken Moffatt. Ken was a member of Algoma Lodge #267 in Thunder Bay ,Ontario. In 2023 Algoma Lodge amalgamated with Orangeville . Ken has been an Oddfellow for 45 years! Please feel free to wish Ken a happy birthday here on our site. Thanks !

11/15/2025

On October 30, the Orangeville Oddfellows provided a hot roast beef dinner for the clients at the Lighthouse on Broadway. I believe between sitdown patrons and takeout we fed about 47 people (with food left over). It was a great morning spent with our new friends at the lighthouse and we look forward to seeing them every time there’s five Thursdays in a month. When that happens on the fifth Thursday, the Oddfellows will be there serving a hot roast beef dinner.

10/22/2025

Are you looking for a fun way to exercise? Join these ladies who rent our hall 3 nights a week. I’m sure they’d love to have you join them!

01/30/2025

Today is the 5th Thursday in January 2025.

If there are 5 Thursdays in the month you will find the Oddfellows Orangeville, Ontario . at the Dew Drop Inn. Always a pleasure to work with this group of people and their signature meal is a beef on a bun and as an awesome alert the beef is donated to the Dew. Today we served the beef on a Kaiser roll with fries, potato salad and mixed vegetables. Hot soup and a choice of dessert and beverage is offered and hot meals may be taken home or enjoyed in our dining room. Bottom left a donation of sandwiches from Mr. Sub which will be handed out as an extra. Thanks everyone for the part that you play in our compassion kitchen. It is appreciated.