Latter-day Saint Charities Responds to Coronavirus with Commodities and Financial Assistance Worldwide
Contributed By Scott Taylor, Church News managing editor
Refugees attend cooking class taught by Latter-day Saint Charities missionaries at St. Paul’s Within the Walls Episcopal Church in Rome, Italy, on Thursday, March 7, 2019. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints partners with the Catholic Church to help refugees. Photo by Jeffrey D. Allred, Deseret News.
Article Highlights
- Be a good global citizen.
- Follow World Health Organization (WHO) guidelines to help reduce the spread of the virus.
- Check on neighbors and friends in the community while practicing safe methods of interactions.
- Use technology to help stay connected and remain positive.
“We anticipate responding for months to come as families, communities, and nations band together to address the long-term effects of the virus.” —Latter-day Saint Charities
In helping address global health concerns, Latter-day Saint Charities is assisting with commodities and financing worldwide—from Asia to North America and into Europe and the Middle East—while working with Church canneries and food-processing plants to help meet increased needs.
In a post titled “Emergency Relief Efforts and Hope During COVID-19” on the organization’s website, Latter-day Saint Charities acknowledged providing support, supplies, and funding to date in Cambodia, China, the Dominican Republic, Guatemala, Hong Kong, Italy, Iran, Japan, Mongolia, the Philippines, Singapore, South Korea, Taiwan, Thailand, the United States, and Vietnam.
That includes providing medical and emergency supplies and commodities to health-care professionals and patients; training for health-care professionals in offering physical, mental, and emotional support to those who are struggling; and funding and supplies to help with the prevention and treatment of COVID-19.
It also noted that the Church’s canneries and food-processing plants have adjusted production schedules to help meet increased needs, making products and goods available as needed to Church leaders, community agencies, school feeding programs, food banks, and other partners.
Latter-day Saint Charities’ work with partners worldwide maximizes its effort and reach, and the organization continues to evaluate new projects and consider help in additional locations.
“We anticipate responding for months to come as families, communities, and nations band together to address the long-term effects of the virus,” the post stated. “Strengthening and supporting each other long after the news cycle ends is part of the mission of Latter-day Saint Charities.”
Latter-day Saint Charities expressed appreciation for its partnerships with governments, international nongovernmental organizations, and others contributing to solutions. The organization also thanked donors who contributed well before the pandemic ever began, allowing for funds and commodities to be available for immediate response, without delay.
The post also listed ways individuals can help during the pandemic:
- Be a good global citizen.
- Follow World Health Organization (WHO) guidelines to help reduce the spread of the virus.
- Check on neighbors and friends in the community while practicing safe methods of interactions.
- Use technology to help stay connected and remain positive.
“This is a time when every person can do something, and kindness is evidence of who we really are,” the blog post concluded.
In its 2019 annual report released last month, Latter-day Saint Charities documented its efforts last year in 142 countries and territories. In all, Latter-day Saint Charities completed 3,221 projects working shoulder to shoulder with 2,000 partners.
Inside a Church cannery in Harrisville, Utah.
Rendelle Joshua Manguba from Manila, Philippines, a #LightTheWorld-sponsored scholarship recipient, reads a book with his father and younger brother. Latter-day Saint Charities partnered with Caritas Manila, a Catholic social welfare program, during the Christmas campaign to fund educational opportunities for school-aged children.
