Event with borough president to announce $50,000 donation to Queens food pantries

This message was sent to all ward members via email, 6 December 2022.

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Dear brothers and sisters,

At our recent general conference, President Dallin H. Oaks, first counselor in the First Presidency, counseled: “As members of the restored Church, we need to be more aware and more appreciative of the service of others.” He added: “The Church of Jesus Christ is committed to serving those in need, and it is also committed to cooperating with others in that effort.” (See “Helping the Poor and Distressed”, October 2022 general conference, for this quote and those that follow.)

With this counsel in mind, leaders of the Jamaica 1st Ward have been working closely with leaders in the Lynbrook New York Stake, the Woodside New York Stake, and other church officers in the New York City region to make a substantial donation to community food pantries across our borough through the Queens Borough President’s Office.

As a result of these efforts, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is making a donation of $50,000 in food, toiletries, and other household items to several food pantries throughout Queens. The borough president’s office, with the assistance of members of the Queens General Assembly, has identified several food pantries that will each receive a portion of this donation, up to $10,000 each. The food pantries will be able to order these items as needed from the bishop’s storehouse in Piscataway, New Jersey — the same storehouse we use to provide these items for our own members in need — throughout the coming year.

To launch this cooperative effort, Queens Borough President Donovan Richards, Jr., leaders of our ward and the Lynbrook and Woodside stakes, and other community and church leaders will participate in an event on Monday 12 December 2022 at 3.00pm. This event, which should last half an hour or less, will take place in the chapel on the 2nd floor at our church building, 89-58 163rd Street in Jamaica.

We invite and encourage ward and community members to attend to learn more about this effort and show your support. Please note that this event will not be an appropriate setting for speaking individually with the borough president or raising political topics or community concerns with him.

In the April 1928 general conference, Elder Orson F. Whitney, then a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, taught, “God is using more than one people for the accomplishment of his great and marvelous work. … It is too vast, too arduous, for any one people.” Reflecting our own local efforts to work with a variety of organizations, President Oaks noted, “While each humanitarian organization has its own areas of specialization, we share the common goal of relieving suffering among God’s children. All of this is part of God’s work for His children. … God inspires many organizations and individuals to do much good [and] more of us should be recognizing the good done by others and supporting it as we have the time and means to do so.”

Reaching out to others in our community in a cooperative effort to make our world a better place is an essential part of God’s work. As we do so we are following the example we read of in the Book of Mormon: “And thus, in their prosperous circumstances, they did not send away any who were naked, or that were hungry, or that were athirst, or that were sick, or that had not been nourished; and they did not set their hearts upon riches; therefore they were liberal to all, both old and young, both bond and free, both male and female, whether out of the church or in the church, having no respect to persons as to those who stood in need” (Alma 1:30).

Thank you for your faithful giving of tithes, fast offerings, and other contributions that have made this donation possible.

Sincerely,

Dustin Tyler Joyce
Bishop, Jamaica 1st Ward