by Leisa Parsons, Area Media Specialist
Service opportunities are as varied as the people who perform them. Over the past week, thousands of members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints from around San Antonio have metaphorically come together to help feed the more vulnerable in our city.
The word went out just over a week ago that Catholic Charities needed help filling their Thanksgiving boxes. They had turkeys but they needed side items. Members went into action with different congregations assigned different items to donate —from apples and oranges to potatoes, stuffing, corn, sweet potatoes, marshmallows and other items needed to round out a Thanksgiving meal.
Last Sunday, food donations poured into area meetinghouses. The donations were then gathered and dropped off late this week and this morning at Catholic Charities’ Guadalupe Center.
Denise Ramirez, who oversees the operations at the Guadalupe Center explained to whom the meals will go. She said, “This will provide a Thanksgiving meal to all of our clients across our agencies, so 300 clients will be getting this box of food. These are clients that we usually help on a weekly or a monthly basis. We will also hold out about 40 boxes for our ‘Adopt a Seniors’ and we will deliver them so they don’t have to come out.”
Ramirez continued: “On Monday, we will add the turkeys and hams as we give the boxes to them in their cars.” She added, “We now have pies to give them. Little things just keep coming in every day which is a blessing.”
The donations that poured in this week and this morning will more than fill the 300 boxes. Ramirez said: “I believe we have enough to serve more than 300 people, so I’m really excited about that. So whatever we don’t give out on Monday, Tuesday we will have the community come. So we have a plan for everything, nothing is going to go to waste!” By the end of the day, there were enough fixings for 500 meals thanks to the generosity of so many Latter-day Saints.
Over 60 volunteers, mostly youth, from Church congregations all over San Antonio and other community volunteers went to work organizing all of the donations. Each box was wrapped, then decorated and then filled. Those boxes were then moved to another building at the Center to await distribution on Monday.
Ella Carlson, from the San Antonio North Stake, was asked what got her out of bed early on a foggy Saturday morning. She said: “Well, I got a text from my leaders asking for help, and so I decided to take the opportunity to serve.” What was so sweet, and probably true of many of the youth who served this morning, Ella wasn’t sure what she was doing besides packaging boxes. She was just serving because there was a need and an opportunity.
Abby Ashley, from the LaCantera Stake echoed Ella’s words, she too wasn’t aware of all that was being accomplished, but said: “I know it’s a service project, I’m just doing what I should be doing, because I find a lot of fun in helping others.”
Denise Ramirez was overwhelmed at the number of volunteers out this morning and that all of the boxes would be done and ready for Monday morning, she said: “The Lord works, the Lord works!”
