By KRISTY McDONOUGH
Local communications director, Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
ksmcdonough89@gmail.com

One of a series of semi-truck loads of food rolled into Abilene and San Angelo on Feb. 23, bringing more than 41,000 pounds of food from Salt Lake City, the headquarters of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

The Food Bank of West Central Texas in Abilene was the first recipient, where half of the food shipment was unloaded and processed by local church members and missionaries. The semi-truck then delivered the second half of the food to San Angelo, where local church members and missionaries worked with nonprofit community leaders to help stock the shelves to alleviate hunger caused by the unusually severe winter storms.

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According to the Food Bank of West Central Texas website, located in Abilene, “in the 13-county service area, approximately 50,000 people live in poverty and too often miss meals or experience hunger.”  This food donation will provide over 35,000 meals to local recipients. In addition, this truck is one of 32 trucks that came from Salt Lake City to Texas this past week to help storm weary citizens of the state. 

On Feb. 21, members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints were also busy unloading 20 pallets of bottled water in the church parking lots to help the Abilene and San Angelo communities.  Working with The United Way of San Angelo, church members delivered water to many citizens who called for help.  In Abilene, church members delivered water to citizens who needed it, and also delivered a big portion of the water to the Lyndale Memory Care Center in south Abilene because of a broken water main. The balance of the water was donated to the local Big Country Chapter of the American Red Cross.  

“We are so excited to partner with these wonderful nonprofit organizations in the Abilene and San Angelo communities who work so diligently to distribute food and water to those who need it the most during these difficult times caused by the severe weather,” said Kristy McDonough, local communications director for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints.  President Calvin R. Hill, who has led the church congregations in the Abilene and San Angelo communities since 2019, was “very pleased that these food banks and the church had an opportunity to work together to better the community helping to alleviate hunger and deliver clean water.” 

For more information, contact Kristy McDonough, local Communications Director at ksmcdonough89@gmail.com or visit churchofjesuschrist.org.