Global

See how food donations in 6 countries are helping communities

‘Working together … helps strengthen trust and relationships,’ says volunteer

By Jessica Lawrence Aug 18, 2023 11:09 a.m. EDT

Global

See how food donations in 6 countries are helping communities

‘Working together … helps strengthen trust and relationships,’ says volunteer

By Jessica Lawrence Aug 18, 2023 11:09 a.m. EDT

From January to June, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has assisted people in need from six countries — Singapore, Ecuador, Belize, Peru, Honduras and Costa Rica.

Serving with other faiths in Singapore

This year, Latter-day Saints in Singapore served their Muslim brothers and sisters by participating in the annual 2023 Blessings to All Project hosted by the Rahmatan Lil Alamin Foundation during the holy month of Ramadan, the Church’s Singapore Newsroom reported.

“Ramadan is a special time for our Muslim brothers and sisters and is an especially meaningful time to reach out,” said LaVon Lew, the Church’s local communications director. “Being part of this collaboration and working together with the mosques helps strengthen trust and relationships between the different faiths to build a strong community.”

The Rahmatan Lil Alamin Foundation aims to help vulnerable families regardless of faith, race or background.

During the month of April, members of the Church assisted nearly 100 families with grocery vouchers and other items. They were also invited to participate in Buka Puasa or breaking the fast during Ramadan. Members of both the Muslim faith and those in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints built friendships and connections with one another, the Church’s Singapore Newsroom reported.

“We are so thankful for this opportunity to interact with members of other faiths and to talk about their beliefs and practices,” said Joyce Chan, of the Compassvale Ward, Singapore Stake. “This is so important as mutual understanding brings about deeper respect and strengthens the fabric of our community.”

Festivals and food donations in Ecuador

Latter-day Saints gathered with other locals from Milagro, Ecuador, on May 6 for a food drive themed Helping Hands. The goal of the event was to bring in donations that could then be given to low-income families, reported the Church’s Ecuador Newsroom.

Prior to the drive, Anabella Solangic Argüello Loor, queen of Milagro 2022, got involved by coordinating a meeting with Canton Mayor Pedro Solines and Milagro Ecuador Stake President José Pezo Castro.

Part of the event included a festival where youth from local schools participated in folk dance, singing and mariachis. Loor and other dignitaries were present at the event.

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

Plans to assist those affected by Hurricane Lisa

Striking Belize City, Belize, in November 2022, Hurricane Lisa, a Category 1 hurricane, caused damage estimated at $100 million. Forming before it reached land, the hurricane had maximum sustained winds of 75 mph. The rainfall reached across Belize and into northern Guatemala, reported the Church’s Belize Newsroom.

There were no casualties; however, hundreds of homes were destroyed and thousands severely damaged.

The Church, partnering with the United Nations World Food Program, plans to assist those in Belize city this year — specifically the farming community. The start of the donations will include vouchers to at least 800 smallholder farms found in the more affected regions — Cayo, Orange Walk and Stann Creek districts.

Feeding military families in Peru

Thamara Gutiérrez de Chávez, president of the Association of Virgin of Rosario Ladies of the Ministry of Defense, worked with The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints to provide food baskets to mothers of military service troop personnel and mothers of those who are civilian employees of the country’s army, air force and navy on June 2, the Church’s Peru Newsroom reported.

The donations were given to the Association of Volunteer Ladies of the Peruvian Army-South Branch and included evaporated milk, flour, oatmeal, canned fish, lentils, sugar, vegetable oil, noodles and rice.

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

Food for Honduras

Local Latter-day Saints provided food for 480 people in Honduras.

The donations went to the relatives of patients attending the El Progreso General Hospital and the Dialysis Clinic. Food donations were also given to medical and nursing personnel among many others who were in Parque Central Las Mercedes, in the city’s center, reported the Church’s Honduras Newsroom.

Pastry kits in Peru

Bishop W. Christopher Waddell, first counselor in the Church’s Presiding Bishopric, visited the Women’s House the San Juan de Lurigancho district in Lima, Peru, on June 7, to assist and help with the donation of 280 pastry kits.

The organization helps give women ages 15 and older resources and training for entrepreneurship and self-employment opportunities. Previous donations have included kits to assist women in textile manufacturing, amigurumi (a type of crochet work), Ayacucho embroidery and Andean handicrafts.

These kits are used to help the women begin their businesses.

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

This year, 280 pastry kits were donated to women in need. Each kit included a kitchen with a gas oven, hand mixer, electronic scale, a set of metal bowls, 1-liter measuring jug, silicone roller, two assorted silicone cupcake molds, molds for alfajores, a half-kilo cake mold and a set of silicone spatulas.

Months of food for Costa Rica

Beginning Jan. 8, the Church aided the Adventist Assistance Resources Agency in San José, Costa Rica, in a project to help give food to those in need. For six months, nearly 5,000 people benefited from the service. Seventy lunches, three times a week for six months, were offered to those in need, reported the Church’s Costa Rica Newsroom.

Odaly Mendoza, director of communications and human resources for the agency in Costa Rica, said of the experience: “This support allows us to focus on solving the immigration status of this population, especially from Cuba, Ecuador, Haiti and Venezuela.”

Food for migrants in Peru

On June 15, the Church donated 800 food kits and other non-perishable food items to the Loyola Center’s soup kitchen in Tacna, Peru, to help migrants at the border with Chile, the Church’s Peru Newsroom reported.

The kits included cans of tuna, chocolate milk, cereal bars and bottles of water. Other food donated included canned fish, lentils, milk, noodles, oil, oats, rice and sugar.