The following information comes from the Church Newsroom.
“For I was an hungred, and ye gave me meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me in”, Jesus shared, in a parable leading up to the time of His crucifixion and glorious resurrection. Followers of Jesus take this admonition to heart to this day.
And two millennia after He originally said it, the COVID-19 pandemic has dramatically increased the number of people that desperately need that kind of help.
According to the Church Newsroom:
On Saturday, March 20, 2021, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Associated Food Stores, the National Guard, KSL, the Boys and Girls Club of multiple state counties and many other local and interfaith entities partnered to collect and deliver bags and boxes of food to help the Utah Food Bank support thousands of families in the state’s first “Feed Utah” food drive.
Many other faith-based groups that have food pantries throughout the entire state of Utah also co-sponsored the food drive including Catholic Community Services, Holy Trinity Church, Prophet Elias Church, and Fish-n-Loaves Food Pantry.
Utah Food Bank CEO Ginette Bott said that Utah (a state of 3.1 million people) typically has about 500,000 people who struggle with food insecurity. The pandemic expanded this by 160,000. “The needs have increased dramatically,” she said. “[COVID] has changed many things in the families’ lives that we serve.”
To read the full report, CLICK HERE.
