285 Tons Of Food Donated To Food Banks And Service Organizations During COVID-19

Las Vegas
October 30, 2021

See featured article: Interfaith effort has helped fill food pantries in Las Vegas Valley

For more than a year, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has helped individuals and families in need during COVID-19 by donating and distributing food supplies to those hit hardest by the pandemic across Southern Nevada.

Approximately 40,000 pounds of food has been delivered to Las Vegas each month since May 2020, with an average of 1,400 cases of food in each delivery. The food has been distributed to 29 different charities, including other religious organizations, service organizations, food pantries and a labor union. Food deliveries have included much needed canned goods, peanut butter, flour, grains, cereals, and more. In total, there have been 564,052 pounds of food delivered to those in need.

• Number of truckloads: 15
• Tons of food: 282
• Cases of food: 20,789
• Monetary Value: $523,583.05
• Number of Pantries Served: 29
• Number of cities/towns: 13
• Number of religious organizations: 16
• Number of community organizations: 13

Some of the organizations include:

• Abundant Life Community
• Helping Hands of Vegas Valley
• Jewish Family Services
• Lutheran Social Services

“During the pandemic, with our city and state having been so severely impacted by job loss and business closures, we have seen more food insecurity than ever before. These donations have helped so many families to have food on their table. We are very grateful for the food, the time, and the cooperative efforts that the Church has provided,” Donna Zbierski, Director, Society of St. Stephen-Trinity United Methodist.

Local members of The Church of Jesus Christ, as well as missionaries in the Las Vegas area have assisted in distributing these much-needed food supplies.

“We always look for ways to help our brothers and sisters, and especially during these difficult times. We are pleased to have been able to work arm-in-arm with wonderful partners in this effort and the cooperation has been outstanding. It is gratifying to see that this effort has made a difference for so many in our community. We are striving to follow the example of Jesus Christ, and as we come away from feeding the hungry, we realize how hungry we all are both spiritually and temporally,” said local church leader Elder Jeffrey R. Parker.

“These donations have made a huge difference for the clients we serve”, Maggie Carlton, Executive Director, United Labor Agency of Nevada. “We have families that were out of work for months and they couldn’t have survived without help. We appreciate the generosity of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. And may I add, those mashed potatoes are the best we’ve ever tasted!”

Latter-day Saint Charities, the humanitarian arm of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, has provided support, supplies, and funding to 152 countries across the globe during the COVID 19 pandemic. Many people around the world need help, supplies, and support. Latter-day Saint Charities believes that there is hope and that the best way to cope with emergency situations is to help each other. This approach is why the Church in Las Vegas area has worked so closely with our neighbors and partners to provide emergency relief and hope to those in need.