So that Newborns can Breathe

Winnipeg Canada Mormons Feed the Hungry

Hundreds of volunteers from the six Mormon congregations in Winnipeg, Canada,  picked up canned food and non-perishable items from residents of a dozen Winnipeg neighbourhoods.  The food will go to Winnipeg Harvest to feed the hungry.

This July, 2010, food drive is the fifth one supported by the city’s Mormons. The goal is to add 13,500 kilograms to the food bank’s supplies.  The food bank distributes food to more than 5,000 families weekly.  Flyers were distributed to 60,000 households in preparation for the drive.  Residents left food on their doorsteps to be picked up by the volunteers.

Latter-day Saints are prepared to help without making an extra trip to the grocery store.  For many years they have been urged by church leaders to lay up a store of food, clothing and fuel.  The method is to gradually stock up on the food the family eats on a regular basis until there is a three-months supply, then rotate through the pantry, so the supply is refreshed.  Emergency water rations can be stored in cleansed plastic containers that used to carry other products, or in containers purchased specifically to store water.  After the three months’ supply is in place, then the Chuch instructs its members to store a year’s supply of items that have a very long shelf life, so they don’t have to be rotated.  These items include wheat, dry beans, rice, sugar, salt, and honey.

Latter-day Saints also prepare 72-hour kits for emergency evacuations.  For more on emergency preparedness and food storage, go to MormonPreparedness.com.

BYU Students Harness Sun Power for Peruvians

The Peruvians who live on the floating reed islands of Lake Titicaca want for basic amenities.  19 BYU engineering students recently returned from Peru, where they set up sustainable projects to meet basic human needs.  BYU Global Engineering Outreach class/club has visited the Uros people on the floating islands before. A windmill power generator was installed by a previous class.

However, the villagers weren’t using it, gravely concerned about the lightning risks of having a tall metal pole in the middle of a lake on an island made of reeds.  The windmill, therefore was left in the hands of the local government, while another project was planned.  The locals can study it and hopefully install it on the shore and in some of the mountain villages.

Next year’s students will work on a solar-heated water tank and possibly a bio-filter toilet — the simple wishes of one of the mothers on the island.

Currently, the Uros make small reed fires or spend nearly a third of their small incomes on fuel for propane stoves.  The engineering students designed sun cooker prototypes and spoke with members from the village to identify locally available resources.  The sun cooker can boil 12 eggs in 30 minutes.

Vegetable Program Helps Bolivians

The Bolivia Altiplano is a remote region some 14,000 feet above sea level, home to an impoverished population.  Residents are enjoying a more healthy, balanced diet thanks to an LDS Church-sponsored greenhouse project that is bringing spinach, carrots and other vitamin-rich produce to a region where vegetables are typically scarce.  The people of the Bolivian Altiplano have long existed on a diet of meat and potatoes. The climate here is simply too harsh for traditional farming and reliable plant growth of most types of vegetables. As a result, many people here live in a perpetual state of vitamin starvation.

Recognizing the need to incorporate fresh vegetables into the diet of LDS Altiplano families, the church introduced a culture-changing technology here in the form of family underground greenhouses. Dozens of earthen greenhouses can now be found outside Altiplano homes.  Made of adobe and other simple building materials, the greenhouses are providing families with year-round access to tomatoes, spinach, lettuce, peppers, carrots and a produce section’s worth of other vitamin-rich veggies.  With the assistance of the church’s Benson Institute Office in La Paz, some 100 families have built greenhouses over the past two years. Most of the families are LDS, but many non-LDS families also have been included in the project. The greenhouses are typically built underground where the temperature remains constant, allowing for perpetual harvests.

After digging a rectangular hole, a wooden frame is built that typically rises about two feet above the ground. A roof made of fiberglass or plastic is then stretched across the frame.   The church provided the building materials for the families to get started, along with plenty of construction assistance and training. The homeowners and their families perform most of the building and labor. Principles of self-sufficiency are followed throughout the building process.

The greenhouse owners also were given a maiden batch of seeds that would allow them to grow the vegetables needed to feed their families — with enough produce left over to sell and purchase more seeds.  Training has been essential to the project’s success.  Greenhouses must be situated to receive 10 hours of sunlight, and vegetables must be planted correctly, or they won’t grow.  The residents have been used to eating only one vegetable — potatoes.  They have needed training in the cooking of the vegetables as well as how to serve them raw, and how to make them palatable. [1]

Mormon Brings Hope to the Poor in Kenya

Louis Pope, the retiring chief executive of US Synthetics, is moving to a nice beach house in Kenya.  Rather than launching out on a dream vacation or relaxing retirement, the 62-year-old Mormon instead will take a hands-on approach to directing two businesses he has created to lift the poorest people in Kenya out of abject poverty.

Pope formed Orem-based US Synthetics in 1978 and built the company into the world’s leading producer of synthetic diamond drill bits, a critical component in oil and gas exploration.  He is using the rewards of this success to bless the lives of others in a remote part of the world.  His entire family is behind the move and eager to help.

While working as a busy executive, Pope took the time to join a humanitarian aid project called Choice Humanitarian to rural Mexico in 1996 to help build a school.  Choice Humanitarian is based in West Jordan, Utah.  The experience was the first step in what became a life-changing journey for Pope. A year later, he went to Kenya with the same organization.

Pope has since returned more than 25 times to the former British colony on Africa’s east coast on a personal mission to help “the poorest of the poor,” he said.

During the past 10 years, Pope has established two Kenyan-based companies — Yehu Microfinance, which offers loans to women living in extreme poverty, and Coast Coconut Farms, which produces coconut oil using low-tech methods developed by a group of BYU engineering students as one of the school’s Capstone projects. Pope created a third company, Basa Body, based in the US Synthetics Orem plant, to use the coconut oil to make body lotion and similar products.

Coast Coconut Farms provides work for more than 100 Kenyan families, from farmers’ cooperatives to harvest coconuts to groups of micro-franchisees that operate small-scale oil presses.

Yehu Microfinance offers loans that average about $135 to women who have had no access to money lenders in the past to start small businesses. 17,000 women are currently employed (MormonTimes.com).

In January, 2010, Pope and his wife, Chriss, will take the next step when they move into a home they are building near Mombasa. They plan to live there nine months out of the year so Pope can focus his energy on his Kenyan businesses and perhaps launch some new ones — all of them designed to provide work for the Kenyan poor.  The Popes will be distancing themselves from their 5 children and 21 grandchildren, but will stay in touch via the internet.  Members of their family will make the trip for visits and extended stays to help with the work and experience the culture.

The presence of the LDS Church in the area — Mombasa has three branches — means the Popes can stay close to their faith. And as a former British colony, Kenya has two official languages — English and Swahili.

And they are building a beautiful house on a beautiful beach.

LDS Helping Hands in Guatemala

In conjunction with Children’s Day in Guatemala (October 10, 2009), 7,000 members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (the Mormons) performed acts of service.  Children, teenagers and adults of all ages participated in hundreds of projects — including many that focused on serving children, particularly those battling illnesses or other challenges.  Members sported familiar “Mormon Helping Hands” vests as they interacted with the children.

The various children’s service projects included staging puppet shows, games and pinata parties. Mormons dressed up as clowns, painted the children’s faces and taught them songs. The fun-filled activities brought joy to the children and the many members who participated.

In other areas, members participated in various service activities designed to assist disadvantaged youth. Some spent several hours at various youth facilities painting dormitories, cleaning outside the buildings and repairing stoves, refrigerators and play areas. Volunteers also cut grass and scrubbed hallways. Others collected diapers, gifts and hygiene kits that were presented to those who care for the children.

Church volunteers donated a total of 28,000 hours of service. Participants were following the recent general conference counsel of President Thomas S. Monson, who said: “Those who live only for themselves eventually shrivel up and, figuratively, lose their life, while those who lose themselves in service to others grow and flourish — and, in effect, save their life.”

*LDS Church News, November 21, 2009.

Mormons Help Locally – All Over the World

Latter-day Saints believe that giving service to others is a lifestyle based on the teachings of Jesus Christ, who “went about doing good.”  The desire to serve others crosses cultural boundaries and has been manifested in recent months with stories featured on International Church Web sites.  From Brazil and El Salvador to Samoa and Guatemala, members of the Church are reaching out around the world to help those in need.  Below are some examples.

The Mormon Helping Hands program has reached its 10-year anniversary in Brazil.  Mormon Helping Hands has served the needs of thousands while providing many more thousands the opportunity to serve. On 12 October, National Volunteer Day in Brazil, tens of thousands of Mormon Helping Hands volunteers completed service projects throughout the South American country.

“The need to supply blood banks is compelling, as there is a deficit of more than 30,000 units of blood each year,” said Ana Vilma Aguilar, national coordinator. “Aid from The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is invaluable and it enables us to significantly reduce the gap in our inventory.”

In Samoa volunteers helped restore both a grandmother’s home and her hope at a time of significant human loss following the recent deadly tsunami in the South Pacific.

By Uniting against Hunger, Mormons in Guatemala have responded to drought conditions that have destroyed crops.

“I brought two pounds of rice for my little friends who are without food,” said an eight-year-old girl who worked side by side with her father for two hours preparing rations.

The Church joined hands with numerous charitable and municipal organizations in collecting more than 300 tons of food.

Following September’s tropical storm, members in the Philippines continue an ongoing effort to provide food, water, clothes and other relief supplies.

In the Dominican Republic, members say they were following the admonition of their Savior when they donated 500 much-needed wheelchairs.

And on a smaller scale, women in England donated a portable machine that helps hospice patients breathe easier by clearing airways.

From LDS Newsroom.

Mormon Author Helps Foster Care Kids

Mormon Author Helps Foster Care Kids

Popular author Richard Paul Evans, who wrote The Christmas Box, Grace: A Novel,  Timepiece, The Letter, and The Five Lessons a Millionaire Taught Me About Life and Wealth, sponsors Christmas Box International.   Richard Paul Evans is a Latter-day Saint.  Christmas Box International is now associated with Operation Kids®.  Operation Kids sponsors the Christmas Box Lifestart Initiative with the motto, “Until every child is OK.”

Operation Kids has been around for a decade.  The organization supports charities that help secure the education, health, safety and well-being of kids.  Examples include the following:

• Improving Safety through The National Center for Missing & Exploited Children’s “Net Smartz” program.
• Improving Health through the life-changing and life-saving medical procedures of Operation Smile and the Children’s Organ Transplant Association.
• Improving Well-Being through Right To Play’s effective programs teaching conflict resolution through sport, in more than 23 countries.
• Improving Education in New Orleans through the Edible Schoolyard project, funding for summer science internships at New Orleans Charter Science and Math High School and programs for intellectually disabled children provided by Best Buddies.

The Christmas Box Initiative focuses on youth who are or who have been in foster care:

“Each year, more than 24,000 youths age out of the foster care system in America . These are teens that were never adopted, nor able to return to the homes from which they were removed due to abuse, neglect and abandonment. Many of these youth leave foster care as young as 18 years old. Without a family or support network, they face almost insurmountable challenges as they try to navigate the difficulties of adulthood, including incarceration, substance abuse, teen pregnancy, mental illness, poverty, homelessness and suicide. With the right resources, however, they have a much higher chance of success. 

“In October 2008, Operation Kids joined with Christmas Box International to help raise money for the Christmas Box Lifestart Initiative.  Each Lifestart kit provides youth aging out of the foster care system with important necessities including dinnerware, cooking utensils, first aid supplies, bedding, a tool kit, towels, information on local resources available to them, and much more.  As of December 31, 2008, more than $50,000 had been raised online for the Lifestart initiative, providing Lifestart kits for nearly 1,000 youth.  The funding also allows the program to grow to several new states in 2009.  Operation Kids will match every donation, dollar-for-dollar, contributed toward the Christmas Box Lifestart kits. (Read More.)

Local Mormons Provide Food Relief in Florida

On June 25, 2009, Florida Today.com, in an article by John A. Torres, reported the following:

Starting today, hungry families struggling to provide can go to the nearest Catholic Church for a week’s supply of food.

More than 12,000 pounds of food collected and donated by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints was picked up Wednesday by volunteers with Catholic Charities of Central Florida.  The partnership is expected to ease the economic crunch for struggling families for the next three weeks.  The food is available for anyone, regardless of faith.

It’s the first time an LDS Stake has connected with the local Catholic Church to work on this type of project.  There are a large number of Catholic Churches in Brevard County that can serve as distribution centers.  The project follows a successful fund-raising campaign called Project Hunger, aimed at providing food for the poor during the summer months.  Donations are typically lower during the summer than during the winter holiday season, so it’s difficult to keep food banks stocked.  This recent donation will help provide needed food until the Project Hunger funds are allocated.  Funding for the effort was provided by donations from Latter-day Saints (Mormons) throughout Central Florida.

To read the full article, click here.

Massive Service Day Benefits Thousands

SALT LAKE CITY 27 April 2009

From coast to coast, members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints joined hands with friends and neighbors to clean up and serve their communities in a far-reaching day of service.  Hundreds of thousands of volunteers stocked shelves, constructed houses and helped families in transition get their feet back on the ground.

“Helping others is valuable to the person being served but may be of even more importance to the person serving because it causes him or her to forget their own problems for just a few minutes and experience the joy of service,” said Elder Walter F. González, who oversaw volunteer efforts by the Church in the southeast area of the United States.

In Southern California Mormons staged an organized event that summoned some 40,000 volunteers to carry out service projects throughout all of Southern California, including 11 Orange County cities.  Although service is a core value in the Mormon belief system, this is the first time members of its congregations have united statewide on the same day in such a uniform fashion.  Projects included cleaning parks in Cypress, building a park in Fullerton, donating food to the Orange County Food Bank in Huntington Beach, informing residents about proper smoke detectors in Tustin and more.  Though the movement was organized by Mormon congregations, non-church volunteers were encouraged to participate (Orange County Register). Read more

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