The COVID-19 pandemic may have been unexpected, but when one looks at the humanitarian response by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints to the crisis, their preparation is visible.
In a video released Tuesday, Presiding Bishop Gérald Caussé discussed the Church’s recent humanitarian efforts.
“This is part of our DNA, that we go and find those that are in need and try to help them, whether it is in our own community or far away in other countries,” he said. “This is really at the center of our religion.”
Deseret News reporter Tad Walch detailed the impact of some of the Church’s humanitarian efforts, including how the Church sent an additional 15 trucks each week out of the Salt Lake City Bishop’s Central Storehouse.
The recipients of the donations expressed how significant the action was, as the pandemic has caused donations to be down (due to lack of excess at grocery stores and lack of food drives) and demand to be up.
Penny Freeman, a Kentucky food pantry director, told the Louisville Courier-Journal, “If we had not received these in such a timely manner, we were seriously contemplating closing our doors. We are grateful for the generous donations the church has given us and for the impact it will have in sustaining the needs of our community.”
Read more about the largest humanitarian aid project in Church history at Deseret News.
