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.

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.

The first weekend in May, after two days of relentless rainfall, the Harpeth and Cumberland Rivers that meander throughout the city and suburbs of Nashville, overflowed their banks at record-breaking heights and caused extremely serious flooding.   The flood waters reached four counties in Tennessee, causing so much damage they were deemed federal disaster areas. Over 20,000 homes were destroyed or damaged with 21 deaths across the state.

Though 42 members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints lost their homes and 100 members’ homes or vehicles suffered damage, no lives were lost among the members of the Mormon Church, and no church buildings were damaged. 

“On Saturday afternoon the rain continued and rivers began creeping out of their banks. Members checked on one another and then organized into small groups working tirelessly throughout neighborhoods. They moved furniture and supplies to upstairs rooms. In one subdivision the residents began to call the members the ‘Mormon Angels’ because of their selfless service. One neighbor wrote the following to the members, ‘We can’t tell you how much we appreciate all the help from all of our angels yesterday. You lifted a load in more ways than one. Please convey our UTMOST appreciation,’ Cindy Tumblin. ” [1]

“On Sunday church meetings were cancelled and members continued helping others. Many housed those that were forced to evacuate. Over 15 inches of rain had fallen by Sunday evening. In some places the rivers had risen 20 feet and totally submerged homes and vehicles. Weather forecasters said a summer’s worth of rain fell in two days.”

The Church Disaster Relief in Atlanta sent 7 semi- truck loads of clean drinking water, food, cleaning kits, generators, diapers, fans and other items into the Metropolitan Nashville/Davidson County Office of Emergency Management distribution point, to the Second Harvest Food Bank (who served as a distributor for Metro) and to the Town of Lavergne.

One semi-truck full of food and supplies was taken to the Grace Works Ministries and the Empty Hands Fellowship in Franklin, TN. Seven churches belong to this ministry and serve the people throughout Williamson County.  Two semi-trucks full of water (about 7,400 gallons) were sent to Mount Pleasant, TN, because their water purification system was underwater and not working properly. Members of the Nashville stake gathered supplies for over 1200 hygiene kits that were donated to the Red Cross for distribution.

Hundreds of church volunteers gathered in flood-stricken neighborhoods cleaning up muddy debris.  Every LDS ward had work crews out daily. Members worked tirelessly side by side with people of other faiths. “Our members have been welcomed every where they have gone, wonderful associations and friendships have been established. “

Sixty members in Thompson Station met at a local Baptist church that suffered severe water damage.  The church had six inches of water fill the sanctuary and class rooms. Mormon volunteers swept, cut drywall, and cleaned mud grime off of furniture.

LDS bishops and branch presidents have assigned priesthood leaders to lead volunteer service activities and have contacted city leaders to coordinate the service activities with neighborhood needs.   The mayor of Franklin, Tennessee was grateful and called the church daily for help. Several times persons needing help would call the mayor and ask for the Mormons.

One young man preparing for his mission went to the mayor’s office daily to find out what families needed help. Members of the church assisted in any way possible such as feeding relief workers, clearing trees, removing floors, siding, air conditioners, duct work, dry wall, garages, etc.

Mormon missionaries participated fully in the clean up, and seemed to work beyond their capacities.  Many were amazed at the missionaries hard work and diligence.  They pulled up damaged wood floors and tore out soaked HVAC ducts full of mud and awful smells.

Recovering from the flood may take years for Nashville and its surrounding areas but members of the Church will always be organized and ready to serve. “We feel extremely fortunate that our members had so little damage to their homes and properties when so many others lost everything,” said Franklin Stake President William Grayson. “We consider it a blessing to be able to coordinate supplies and food to those who were affected, and we are grateful for the volunteers from our stake who have worked tirelessly to reach out and help through daily service opportunities in their communities.”   [1]

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.

Over 300 Latter-day Saints from the surrounding area, including Clarksville, TN, removed over 240 cubic yards of debris using over 1500 man hours during the Church’s annual Day of Service event.  A variety of such Day of Service events were performed by over 550 Latter-day Saint congregations throughout the Southeastern United States. (The local LDS Congregations are currently accepting proposals for service from the Clarksville community for the April 24, 2010 Day of Service.)

A few years ago when BYU students volunteered in Southeast Asia, they spent their time working in the fields. Today when students volunteer there, they spend their time teaching the people English. Why? The people they were working with told the students that they already knew how to work their fields and could do it alone, but if they knew English, they would be able to leave the fields and get a better job in the city.

“Using their education and academic expertise, students can have a greater impact than they would by just donating time and strength,” said Lynn Henrichsen, a professor of linguistics and English language who trains students before they go abroad to teach English. “Service-learning truly fits BYU’s motto of ‘Enter to Learn, Go Forth to Serve.’”

Teaching English abroad is just one example of service learning. The trend toward service-learning is growing at schools in Utah and on a national scale.

According to the Community Involvement and Service-Learning Web site of the University of Minnesota, service-learning involves earning credit for a class where students are involved with community organizations and projects as a part of their course work in order to apply class principles to service experiences. Service-learning is a national initiative in higher education, and it is being implemented in various departments of many universities.

“The trend toward service-learning is part of a turning point in volunteerism around the country, and college students are right in the middle of it,” said Casey Peterson, director of the BYU Center for Service and Learning. “Students are no longer interested in traditional services organizations such as Kiwanis and Lion’s clubs, but the spirit of service is alive and strong in today’s youth and the number of service hours is increasing. It is typical of this generation to want to apply the things that they are learning. They don’t just want to read a book. ”

The way that service-learning programs are implemented is different at every university, but the principles of service are the same, Peterson said. BYU focuses on the grassroots efforts of service-learning. BYU does not currently designate service-learning courses, but 30-40 percent of classes at BYU have a service-learning component, and other service is done by students on an individual basis through programs at the Center for Service and Learning. Student can also enroll in StDev 214, “Learning Through Service,” to learn more about the methods, theories and applications of service so that they can then integrate these into their own majors.

“One reason that the trend towards service-learning is growing is that students who were involved with experiential service courses during college, are now becoming faculty members and professors,” Peterson said. “They realize the benefits of service-learning, because they were involved in it when they were students.”

Some disciplines, such as education, languages and health related majors, can lend themselves more easily to service learning, but service can be integrated into any field of study.

Scott Hannay, a recently graduated Latin American Studies major and BYU’s former Service Council president, worked to integrate service into his education. Before serving on the service council, he worked on a committee for the Food and Care Coalition and spent two years as a program director for Project Youth.

“As you get involved with service at any level, you develop the habit of thinking about how you can make a difference no matter where you are,” Hannay said. “You will start thinking about how you can apply service to whatever field you are studying.”

Scott used to just worry about finding a career that would allow him to provide well for his family, but now he thinks about how he can use his studies to make a difference for families around the globe, he said.

“Learning about the Latin American people has motivated me to work on implementing programs for them in this area,” Hannay said. “This idea grew out of my service experiences and my major.”

There are many people and groups willing to help students and universities incorporate service-learning at some level. Campus Compact is a national organization designed to encourage civic engagement and help universities integrate service into their curriculums. This organization promotes service-learning, volunteerism, advocacy and activism among college students at public and private universities.

“The way that service is integrated into the classroom is up to the university because effective integration methods differ from school to school,” said Melissa Miller Kincart, executive director of Utah Campus Compact. “Some students and faculty would rather keep civic engagement outside the classroom, but all around the trend is to mix service-learning in some way with student affairs.”

In Utah there are three colleges that are working to integrate one model for civic engagement, service and academics. These schools are Weber State University, Westminster College and the University of Utah. The other schools, like BYU, have separate programs.

All medical supplies with an expiration date must have at least 13 months of
good date left when the items are donated. The following first-aid items in original packaging are needed:
· Ace bandages
· Adhesive bandages, 1″ wide
· Adhesive tape, 1″ wide
· Cotton balls, sterile and non-sterile
· Tongue depressors
· Cotton swabs, sterile and non-sterile
· Gauze pads, all sizes
· Gauze rolls, all sizes
· Paper tape, 1″ wide

Your donations will be checked for quality and compliance with standards. All items should be appropriate to send to any country. Please be sensitive to not send items with prints of religious symbols, flags or military themes.

Making cloth bags for school kits (more detailed instructions available online)
Bag
· Cut one piece heavy, durable fabric 14×36 inches or two pieces 14×18 inches
· With right sides together, sew side seams and across the bottom, ½ inch seam
· Serge or zig-zag all seams
· Serge or zig-zag around the top opening of the bag
· Turn top hem down 1 ½ “ and sew
Handles
· Cut two handles 24×3 ½ inches (1 inch webbing may be substituted )
· Fold long sides in ½” then fold in half, lengthwise and sew down both long sides
· Attach and reinforce handles 2” from side seam along hem. Repeat on opposite side.
Handles should be able to hang comfortably over a shoulder like a purse, length
about 21” long

· Sew a 3” strip of Velcro on inside of bag between handle straps

These can be dropped off at the LDS Humanitarian Center. Ship or deliver completed items to:
Latter-day Saint Humanitarian Center
1665 South Bennett Road
Salt Lake City, UT 84104
Telephone (801) 240-5954
Hours: 8:00 a.m. – 4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday
Completed items may also be taken to the nearest Deseret Industries store or bishops’ storehouse. Seal boxes and mark them Latter-day Saint Humanitarian Center-SLC. They will then be shipped to the Latter-day Saint
Humanitarian Center.

Locations of Deseret Industries stores and bishops’ storehouses may be found by calling (801) 240-5954.

The Prophet Joseph Smith taught:

A true Latter-day Saint is to feed the hungry, to clothe the naked, to provide for the widow, to dry up the tear of the orphan, to comfort the afflicted, whether in this Church or in any other or in no church at all, wherever he finds them.
(Times and Seasons, 15 Mar. 1842, 732)

The Saints in ancient America–in the prophet Alma’s day–did not send away any who were naked or that were hungry or that were athirst or that were sick…therefore they were liberal to all, both old and young, both bond and free, both male and female, whether out of the church or in the church, having no respect to persons as to those who stood in need (The Book of Mormon, Alma 1:30).

If you desire to serve the needy throughout the world, including those in your own community, you might consider the following practical opportunities:

• Pay a generous fast offering, as a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Mormons).
• Give generously to the Church’s Humanitarian Aid Fund. All money donated to this fund goes to serve the poor and needy of the world without regard to race, religion or nationality.
• Donate usable items, including clean clothing, to Deseret Industries. Not only will this benefit the needy within your community, but surplus items are sent to the Latter-day Saint Humanitarian Center for future relief efforts.
• Volunteer to work at Humanitarian Service Rooms or other Church welfare facilities.
• Commodities produced at these facilities are used to provide humanitarian aid.
• Volunteer at an agency that assists people in your community.

Established community organizations offer many opportunities to serve, including providing meals to the homeless, teaching adults to read, and mentoring at-risk youth. Such service not only blesses those in need, but also fosters unity between Church members and the community.

• Contact your bishop about serving a mission. Opportunities for full-time service are listed in a bulletin sent to him each month.
• Part-time/service mission opportunities can be found online at www.lds.org