The following is excerpted from the Church Newsroom. To read the full report, CLICK HERE.

In light of the challenges that many Bay Area residents are facing due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Latter-day Saints from the area partnered with a long list of Oakland, California, churches and charity organizations to help deliver more than 80,000 pounds of donated food to people in need.

“Without the food here at ECAP [Emeryville Citizens Assistance Program], I would be really on my way down and out of [my] apartment,” said Patricia Levy-Phillips, who has lived in Oakland for most of her life.

Levy-Phillips was one of dozens of residents who waited patiently in a long line in front of the ECAP building in West Oakland.

There, food bank volunteers distributed boxes of donated fresh produce and other food items to people struggling to make ends meet.

A 19-year-old Chinese American resident, who asked not to be named, accompanied his grandmother with an empty foldable shopping cart as ECAP opened for food service.

“My grandparents — their mental health has been declining. My mom got laid off, and you know, we just had a lot more insecurity than ever [before]. And it’s just a difficult time, and we’re trying to get through this,” he said.

To read the full report, CLICK HERE.