Freemasons are thought to practice charity and care, not only for their own, but also for the community as a whole; both by charitable giving and by voluntary efforts and works as individuals. It has been said that "the Masonic Way is to give without remembering and to receive without forgetting".

​

The earliest surviving Masonic documents; the "Old Charges" or "Gothic Constitutions", dating from circa 1390, outline a Mason's duties to his God, his family and society in general. In operative terms, the "Old Charges" called on the stone masons to assist a strange mason with up to two weeks' work or lodging. In speculative terms, they directed masons to aid the needy and act with charity towards all mankind.