Approximately 120 members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints from the Regina Saskatchewan Stake (a stake is similar to a diocese) filled 2,500 food hampers to support provincial fire relief efforts through the Regina Food Bank, Potash Corporation of Saskatchewan and Kitsaki Management Limited Partnership.
Recent fires in the northern two-thirds of Saskatchewan forced the evacuation of many northern communities. More than 13,000 individuals were required to vacate their homes, leaving everything behind. Some were gone as long as six weeks. With the loss of power, most will return to freezers and refrigerators full of spoiled food.
The Potash Corporation of Saskatchewan and Kitsaki Management LP donated sufficient foodstuffs to the Regina Food Bank, the central clearing house for all food banks in the province, to fill 5,000 hampers of food. However, volunteers were needed to assemble the hampers.
With less than 24 hours’ notice, members of three local Church congregations rose to the challenge. The Mormon volunteers of all ages spent a total of 500 person-hours filling boxes. (The Regina Food Bank relaxed age restrictions to allow families to come together to meet the needs of others.)
“I am overwhelmed by the response by the members,” said Yves Noblet, who presides over the Regina Saskatchewan Stake. “We knew the members would come out, but to have such a fast response and such good numbers is heartwarming.”
Read more at Mormon Newsroom—Canada
