Tarrant County Charities Receive Donation from The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

Featured Photo: Missionaries from the Fort Worth Texas Mission of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints turned out to help unload the Church’s donations at Tarrant County charities. Photo by Echo Johnson.

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints continues to provide relief amid the COVID-19 pandemic. The Church is now distributing cash and commodities in response to an unprecedented number of humanitarian requests around the world.

In Tarrant County, the first distribution of food was to Arlington Charities and Arlington Urban Ministries. AC and AUM were selected to receive a half-semi-truck load of food commodities from The Church because of their ability to help those living with food scarcity in the community. Both charities are qualified 501(c)(3) organizations, a prerequisite for the distribution. The gift of commodities is a free-will gesture to help Arlington Charities and Arlington Urban Ministries accomplish their mission and to do so with no cost to them.  

To date, Latter-day Saint Charities has initiated over 280 COVID-19 relief projects in over 80 countries. Within the United States, 15 truckloads of commodities from the Church’s network of bishops’ storehouses are being delivered each week to food banks and other charitable organizations across the country.

Charles Spitzer, Director of Communication for the Dallas and Fort Worth Coordinating Council, shared, “Relationships are going to continue to grow and to become more important to us so that we can continue to do what we do; to serve God’s children.”

The food trucks not only bless families in need but are strengthening community relationships. When Spitzer was asked, What are the blessings members will receive if they come out and help? He replied,  “This is indeed a manifestation of the pure love of Christ. They will feel the blessings in their lives of service, of coming and serving those who are not as fortunate as they are. It will build their testimonies of the Savior and of the work that He did.”

The Deseret Industries semi-truck arrived in Texas thunderstorms on September 2, 2020, around 8 am. D.I. driver Lynn Peterson was undaunted by the storms. He had important commodities to unload and a rigorous route the remainder of the day in moving supplies across the state from The Church’s peanut butter factory in Houston. Peterson, stated, “The Church is donating three times more food to organizations than they have been in the past.”

This year, Peterson has delivered to Texas, Indiana, Southern California, Northern California, Arizona, and Illinois. There are 50 drivers just like Mr. Peterson sent from Salt Lake loaded with food and commodities. Some trucks are 100% food, like what was delivered to AC and AUM. Other trucks are 80% food and 20% emergency needed products. Predominately, Mr. Peterson delivers to Bishop Storehouse facilities, but in response to the need for food in secondary food pantries, deliveries have increased as a goodwill gesture.

The Church has identified areas of food scarcity and is sending deliveries. Arlington Charities received 24,000 pounds of food. The other half of Mr. Peterson’s semi-truck load was delivered to another North Texas food bank. In all, that is 48,000 pounds of food.

Dr. Victoria Farrar-Myer, Arlington Texas Deputy Mayor Pro-Tempore, was present to formally receive the community gift. Dr. Farrar-Myer reminded us that during hard times it is good to look for the silver linings. She stated that she couldn’t think of a better expression to show faith over fear. “When we are confronted with the worst of the worst, we rise up together as a community and we find a way to help each other. Whether it is a meal, a virtual hug, or just a thank you.”

When we are confronted with the worst of the worst, we rise up together as a community, and we find a way to help each other.

Dr. Victoria Farrar-Myer, Arlington Texas Deputy Mayor Pro-Tempore

Arlington Charities staff and volunteers from JustServe assisted with unloading and moving the supplies. Deborah Coppola, Executive Director of Arlington Charities expressed gratitude for the donation:

“This is an amazing gift for us. We have never received anything like this before. This is going to make a huge difference for us here at Arlington Charities. We have gone from assisting approximately 60 families per four- hour-day to up to 200 families per four-hour-day, every single day.” When asked how long this load (24,000 pounds) would last. Coppola answered, “I imagine it would last a few weeks. We are seeing two times if not three times the number of people we normally see in a day.”

Arlington Charities receives donations from individual donors as well as community partners. When Coppola was asked what the community could do to help, she replied, “For those desiring to help local food pantries like us, monetary donations, cleaning supplies, and toiletries are most needed at this point. Monetary donations are used for special needs items like diapers, and formula; items that are not typically donated.”

To me, service is kind of like a vacation for the soul.”

Mark Davies, Arlington Stake President of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

Mark Davies, Arlington Stake President of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, acknowledges the important role local charities play every day: “Arlington Charities is a wonderful organization that helps to fight hunger and poverty. We are so grateful for the relief and hope they bring in helping to provide basic needs for individuals and families in our community. Local members of the Church have been privileged to partner with them in simple ways through service and resources. Caring for those in need is a priority of The Church of Jesus of Latter-day Saints. We are grateful to provide food at this time to assist Arlington Charities in their great cause.”

So what would be our call to action? President Mark Davies says, “To me, service is kind of like a vacation for the soul.” Davies encourages us to “Get on-line JustServe and take a look. There are quite a few opportunities locally that [we] can be a part of, and more come on-line on a weekly basis. JustServe is great! If people just go out there and have a desire to serve as a family or as a group or class, those opportunities are definitely out there.”

JustServe.org is a website where the volunteer needs of organizations may be posted, and volunteers may search for places to serve in the community, providing opportunities to help those in need and enhance the quality of life in the community.