ABOUT US
Volunteer
“When you come to the Home, you see what Masonry really represents.”
Our Mission and Values
We are devoted to helping our communities and families live well and achieve meaningful and rewarding lives. This vision is embodied by our residents and clients, as well as our volunteers, partners, and staff.
Our core customer service pillars guide us to value the safety of our residents and clients, our strong personal connections, provide meaningful life experiences, and to efficiently find new ways to constantly improve our services.
In all of our work, the Masonic Homes of California is guided by the charitable mission and values of the Masons of California, a nonprofit fraternal organization with more than 50,000 members.
Our History
Masons are driven by a commitment to take care of one another and their communities. This has improved lives in California since before the state was formed: During the gold rush and the severe hardship that followed, Masons in the area provided food and relief to struggling families. When cholera swept through Sacramento in 1850, they helped build a hospital at Sutter’s Fort. Read more about this legacy of giving, and the history of Masonic charity in California in the California Freemason magazine.
It was in this spirit of charity that California Masons created our Masonic Homes. In 1898, in what is now Union City, the fraternity opened the first California Masonic Home in order to care for Masonic widows and orphans. About 16,000 members donated all funds for the land, materials, and building construction. Eleven years later, the fraternity opened a second home in Southern California. More than a century later, these original two buildings have evolved into our present-day retirement communities in Union City and Covina.
Over the years, we have also developed outreach and youth programs that are able to reach every community in California. These support services are relied upon by hundreds of families, both with and without Masonic affiliation. They continue to be funded by the donations of California Masons.