Church hosts ‘Service Day’ with WFP and World Food Program USA

Sporting white Service Day T-shirts, more than 150 young single adults from the Salt Lake area worked diligently to assemble and package 900 boxes of food at the Bishops’ Central Storehouse on Thursday, Feb. 8.

The massive service project, to be distributed through the Utah food pantry Tabitha’s Way, commemorated the 10th anniversary of collaboration among The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, the United Nations World Food Programme, the world’s largest hunger-relief organization, and World Food Program USA.

Surveying the sea of activity, Bishop L. Todd Budge, second counselor in the Presiding Bishopric, was impressed by the smiles on the young adults faces as they worked to bless the lives of people they would likely never meet.

“They exude joy,” Bishop Budge said. “You think of going out to work, it’s a hard thing, but you can tell they are feeling the spirit of service, which is the light of Christ that they feel.”

The service project came during a week in which Church leaders met with leadership from World Food Programme and the World Food Program USA. They also celebrated a decade of collaboration by announcing the contribution of $4.3 million — $2 million from the Church and an additional $2.3 million from World Food Program USA — to jointly fund an emergency response hub in the Caribbean.

President Jeffrey R. Holland, acting president of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, and Elder Ulisses Soares, also of the Quorum of the Twelve, made a brief appearance during the service project to greet the young people and leaders of the World Food Programme, and World Food Program USA, to whom they express appreciation for the camaraderie and opportunity to serve together.

“To have the president of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles take time to come out to the bishops’ storehouse is incredible. It shows his love and commitment to caring for those in need,” Bishop Budge said. “And then to have a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, Elder Soares, for them to take the time to come out to greet the young people and personally express our appreciation to the World Food Programme, I think was very important.”

President Camille N. Johnson, the Church’s Relief Society general president, and Sister Kristin M. Yee, second counselor in the Relief Society general presidency, also attended and had fun participating in the service project.