{"id":58992,"date":"2025-11-14T13:37:42","date_gmt":"2025-11-14T18:37:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lakelandgazette.info\/news\/?p=58992"},"modified":"2025-11-14T13:37:48","modified_gmt":"2025-11-14T18:37:48","slug":"church-of-jesus-christ-sends-250-trucks-to-food-banks-in-each-state-for-america250-celebration","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lakelandgazette.info\/news\/2025\/11\/14\/church-of-jesus-christ-sends-250-trucks-to-food-banks-in-each-state-for-america250-celebration\/","title":{"rendered":"Church of Jesus Christ sends 250 trucks to food banks in each state for America250 Celebration"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

As the nation prepares to mark its 250th anniversary, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is partnering with America250 to with a massive nationwide food donation effort.<\/p>\n\n\n

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Elder Michael A. Dunn of the Seventy speaks at the Bishops\u2019 Central Storehouse in Salt Lake City on Thursday, November 13, 2025. | The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
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Standing inside the Church\u2019s Bishops\u2019 Central Storehouse in Salt Lake City, leaders from both organizations announced that 250 semitrucks loaded with food will be sent to 250 food banks in all 50 states. The first rig rolled out Thursday morning, offering what officials called a preview of the Church\u2019s contribution to the semiquincentennial.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAs we mark this historic milestone, we hope to foster a spirit of unity, peacemaking and goodwill,\u201d said Elder Gerrit W. Gong of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles. \u201cThe anniversary is an opportunity for all to come together, serve together, and express gratitude for the freedoms that have allowed all faiths \u2014 including ours \u2014 to flourish.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

America250 Chair Rosie Rios, former U.S. Treasurer, joined Commissioners Cathy Gillespie and Lynn Forney Young for the announcement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThis is truly a historic moment for all of us,\u201d Rios said. \u201cAlthough we are celebrating the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence, this \u2014 for me \u2014 is a moment of unity. It\u2019s unity in what the Church is doing, what the Church has always done, and what the Church continues to do.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n

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The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is sending the first of 250 semitrucks, specifically designated to the America250 celebration, delivering food donations to 250 food banks across all 50 states. This truck is at the Bishops\u2019 Central Storehouse in Salt Lake City on Wednesday, November 12, 2025. | The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

Gillespie emphasized the broader significance of the effort.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cToday\u2019s announcement is about more than just food donations,\u201d she said. \u201cService can unite us. It invites people from every background to work side by side, regardless of political or religious views.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Church leaders noted the partnership\u2019s special resonance as the faith approaches its own bicentennial in 2030.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe Church was founded in the United States in 1830 thanks in great measure to the religious freedoms established by the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution,\u201d said Elder Michael A. Dunn of the Seventy. \u201cIt\u2019s fitting that we join with other faiths and organizations to commemorate this pivotal moment in our nation\u2019s history.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Each truck will deliver roughly 40,000 pounds of food, including canned fruits and vegetables, meats, pasta, flour, pancake mix and dried milk \u2014 much of it produced by the Church and funded by member donations. The first five trucks are scheduled to arrive next week at food banks in Oregon, Arkansas, Missouri, Texas and Michigan.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Blaine Maxfield, managing director of the Church\u2019s Welfare and Self-Reliance Services, said the operation reflects long-standing principles.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cOur trucks can be loaded and dispatched anywhere they\u2019re needed,\u201d Maxfield said. \u201cThese programs are rooted in compassion, designed to lift individuals, families and communities during times of greatest need. Following the example of Jesus Christ, we strive to love our neighbor.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Church\u2019s JustServe platform will collaborate with America250\u2019s \u201cAmerica Gives\u201d initiative to encourage record-setting volunteer service throughout 2026. A special landing page on JustServe.org will highlight community projects nationwide. In addition, FamilySearch will participate in the celebration next year by encouraging families to preserve and share the stories that shaped their heritage.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sister Tracy Y. Browning of the Primary General Presidency said children frequently remind her of the simple power of service.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cOne of the most common answers they give when I ask how they can help someone this week is, \u2018share my food,\u2019\u201d she said. \u201cTheir natural inclination to respond with compassion reminds us why this effort matters.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For Chair Rios, the mission is personal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAs someone who grew up on the charity of my church \u2014 as someone who might have received this generous food bank donation \u2014 it means everything to me,\u201d she said. \u201cOur church communities are essential to the fabric of our country.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The 250 trucks will continue rolling out throughout 2026, each wrapped with America250 and JustServe logos \u2014 a nationwide call to serve during a historic year of remembrance.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

As the nation prepares to mark its 250th anniversary, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is partnering with America250 to with a massive nationwide food donation effort. Standing… <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":58993,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_seopress_titles_title":"","_seopress_titles_desc":"","_seopress_robots_index":"","_seopress_robots_follow":"","_seopress_robots_imageindex":"","_seopress_robots_snippet":"","_seopress_robots_primary_cat":"17","_seopress_robots_breadcrumbs":"","_seopress_robots_freeze_modified_date":"","_seopress_robots_custom_modified_date":"","_seopress_robots_canonical":"","_seopress_social_fb_title":"","_seopress_social_fb_desc":"","_seopress_social_fb_img":"","_seopress_social_fb_img_attachment_id":0,"_seopress_social_fb_img_width":0,"_seopress_social_fb_img_height":0,"_seopress_social_twitter_title":"","_seopress_social_twitter_desc":"","_seopress_social_twitter_img":"","_seopress_social_twitter_img_attachment_id":0,"_seopress_social_twitter_img_width":0,"_seopress_social_twitter_img_height":0,"_seopress_redirections_value":"","_seopress_redirections_enabled":"","_seopress_redirections_enabled_regex":"","_seopress_redirections_logged_status":"","_seopress_redirections_param":"","_seopress_redirections_type":0,"_seopress_analysis_target_kw":"","inline_featured_image":false,"_uf_show_specific_survey":0,"_uf_disable_surveys":false,"wpai_generated_summary":"","footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":true,"token":"eyJpbWciOiJodHRwczpcL1wvaTAud3AuY29tXC9sYWtlbGFuZGdhemV0dGUuaW5mb1wvbmV3c1wvd3AtY29udGVudFwvdXBsb2Fkc1wvMjAyNVwvMTFcLzIwMjUxMTEzXzEwMzYxMl9zaGVhcHMxMTQ1MS04NjB4NTczLTEud2VicD9maXQ9ODYwJTJDNTczJnNzbD0xIiwidHh0IjoiQ2h1cmNoIG9mIEplc3VzIENocmlzdCBzZW5kcyAyNTAgdHJ1Y2tzIHRvIGZvb2QgYmFua3MgaW4gZWFjaCBzdGF0ZSBmb3IgQW1lcmljYTI1MCBDZWxlYnJhdGlvbiIsInRlbXBsYXRlIjoiaGlnaHdheSIsImZvbnQiOiIiLCJibG9nX2lkIjoxNjMwNDA2NjF9.575WuD3UMGZy7NTXByTMNXZyUS6eDgObH0JZFDldM-wMQ"},"version":2,"attached_media":[{"id":58994,"url":"http:\/\/lakelandgazette.info\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/20251112_141645_SHeaps29971-860x573-1.webp","type":"image\/jpeg"}]},"_wpas_customize_per_network":false},"categories":[17],"tags":[12561],"class_list":["post-58992","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-regional-and-world-news","tag-church-of-jesus-christ-sends-250-trucks-to-food-banks-in-each-state-for-america250-celebration"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lakelandgazette.info\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/58992","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lakelandgazette.info\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lakelandgazette.info\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lakelandgazette.info\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lakelandgazette.info\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=58992"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/lakelandgazette.info\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/58992\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":58995,"href":"https:\/\/lakelandgazette.info\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/58992\/revisions\/58995"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lakelandgazette.info\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/58993"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lakelandgazette.info\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=58992"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lakelandgazette.info\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=58992"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lakelandgazette.info\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=58992"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}