Food Drive Unites Community on National Day of Service and Remembrance

Featured Photo, left to right: Ana Johnson, Angela Pitcher, JustServe Specialist Patrice Read, and Minister Shonny DeBouse-Young. All photos by Michael Starr

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and Mona’s Heart Outreach of Destiny Pointe Christian Center united on the  National Day of Service and Remembrance to feed the hungry in the Arlington area.

Collaboration and planning for the needs of the charity and how volunteers could help began in early August with discussions between JustServe Specialist Patrice Read, Arlington area members of the Church of Jesus Christ, and Minister Shonny DeBouse-Young, Mona’s Heart Vice Chair and Executive Director of Community Engagement and Outreach.

At the time, Mona’s Heart Outreach food pantry, which feeds anywhere from 250 to 400 families and individuals weekly, needed high-protein foods such as peanut butter, canned and dried beans, canned meats, and oats.

When presented with the church’s idea for a food drive, Minister DeBouse-Young and her entire team quickly partnered with JustServe and the Church of Jesus Christ to host what Minister DeBouse-Young declared,  “A 9/11 Day of Remembrance, Service, and Community Unity.”

Patrice Read agreed, saying, “The 9/11 National Day of Service is about creating unity again that we had so much after 9/11, 2001 […] We need to stand side by side with one another as Americans, as children of God, and as brothers and sisters in Christ. We need one another.”

“We’re all able to share the love of Christ. It’s a beautiful thing to be able to love people.” – Minister Shonny DeBouse-Young

The food drive was listed on JustServe, a free online service that links community volunteer needs with volunteers. Over the next month, the Church of Jesus Christ collected over 3,000 food items to stock the pantry’s shelves, enough to feed nearly 200 families.

On September 11, 2023, volunteers met at Destiny Pointe  Christian Center, where they packed food boxes and distributed them to families and individuals who visited the food pantry. Minister DeBouse-Young did a Facebook Live during the event, encouraging anyone watching to visit Destiny Pointe and receive food.

“Having an opportunity to work with other denominations is always a treat,” said Church of Jesus Christ volunteer Elizabeth Hercules, a Relief Society president. “I love to watch how our shared love for God allows us to create something beautiful that benefits our brothers and sisters in the community.”  

In summing up the event, Minister DeBouse-Young said:

“We want to be a blessing in remembrance of those lives lost on 9/11. We want to give back to the community. It’s unity in the community. We have a mighty work to do.

“We’re all able to share the love of Christ. It’s a beautiful thing to be able to love people.”