It feels good to know that I'm doing more to help with the covid-19 pandemic besides just staying in my home. Today when I saw this report on some of the things my church, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, is doing to help give supplies to those who need it around the world, it made me feel good. I realized that I don't have to be one of the people out there on the front lines fighting the pandemic to help. Since I donate to this organization, I am part of all the help that is being given. Here are some of the things I'm helping with. People in Utah are making 5 million clinical face masks to donate to health care workers. Also, many Church facilities which make religious clothing have now shifted to making masks and gowns to give to medical workers. Hygiene supplies, food, medical equipment, and other items have been sent around the world to places where they are needed.
A friend of mine commented that though members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints are providing good emergency help, that is not enough to really solve the problems the people are experiencing. She gave the Caribbean area as an example. This is my response to her:
I agree that the Caribbean area is a shambles and it has been for a long, long time. The hurricanes have just made it worse. Yes, it is necessary to give emergency aide, but that is just a temporary band-aid approach. You need to do things that make long term changes in peoples lives and hearts. Around the world, members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints provide immunizations, wheelchairs, eyeglasses, educational loans, loans and training for small home businesses, dig wells and build houses, demonstrate how to grow crops, give sanitation and nutrition education, health and disease training, provide elementary and secondary schools in Mexico and the Pacific Islands and assistance for higher education, give self-reliance training (managing finances, preserving food, job training), maternal and newborn care, refugee help, job training, provide employment centers which not only help to find jobs but help in learning how to write resumes and interview, communication skills, education on family relationships and problem solving, teach English, family counseling, and more.
