The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints’ humanitarian aid donation supports Dallas area food pantries

While we were all experiencing the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic last week, including families impacted by job loss, furloughs, and business shutdowns, Mary Ann Taylor, Mountain Creek Ward Relief Society President, and DeSoto Ward Relief Society President Brooke Reynolds of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, coordinated humanitarian aid donations for delivery to the Cedar Hill Food Pantry in Cedar Hill, Texas and The Mint Foundation located in DeSoto, Texas.

The Cedar Hill Food Pantry

Located within the geographical boundaries of the Mountain Creek Ward of the Dallas Texas Stake, the Cedar Hill Food Pantry has been long-supported by the Latter-day Saint congregation members and full-time missionaries who regularly volunteer at the pantry stocking shelves and filling orders. Other members donate food, money, and clothing items to support the organization. 

The Cedar Hill Food Pantry provides food and other assistance, without discrimination, to eligible needy families located within the Cedar Hill Independent School District boundaries, serving up to 150 families each week. The pantry also provides monetary assistance when funds are available.  The pantry currently occupies a small space but has plans to expand due to the increasing needs of the community.  Those expansion plans have negatively impacted the funding available to secure basic food items.  This donation of peanut butter, beef chunks, cereal, rice, beans, and other staples provided a welcome supplement to the pantry’s depleted inventory.

The Chocolate MINT Foundation

Founded in 2009 by President and Executive Director, Felicia Frazier, The Chocolate MINT Foundation, located within the boundaries of the Latter-day Saint DeSoto Ward,  was created to address the lack of affordable enrichment programs for children whose parents had little to no economic resources. Since its inception, The Mint Foundation has filled a necessary gap in the community, focusing on empowering children and families in the North Texas Area, to be self-sustaining through education, training, mentoring, and service.  In addition to its youth mentoring and career training programs, an important part of the foundation is the food pantry dedicated to alleviate hunger and provide supplemental food assistance for families and senior adults.

Brooke Reynolds, DeSoto Ward Relief Society President, worked with the foundation’s Youth Director, Brittney Green, to facilitate the order and its delivery.  Their inventory had been depleted because of increased needs related to the COVID-19 pandemic. This donation supplemented their need for canned goods.

The Humanitarian Aid Program of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

Through its humanitarian aid program, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints provides support to communities, organizations, shelters and food banks worldwide, at no cost to recipients and without regard to race, religion, or ethnic origin.  Humanitarian aid is funded by donations from Church members and others. One hundred percent of these donations go directly to help the poor and needy.

Did you know?

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is organized geographically into congregations called wards. Multiple wards grouped together are called a stake.

The Relief Society of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, formed in 1842 with over 7 million members in 200 countries, is one of the largest and oldest women’s organizations in the world. Its purpose is to help prepare women for the blessings of eternal life as they increase faith in Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ and His Atonement; strengthen individuals, families, and homes through ordinances and covenants; and work in unity to help those in need.

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