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Sunday, Dec. 5 has been designated as a Day of Giving
Tallahassee Mayor John E. Dailey this week proclaimed Sunday, Dec. 5 as a Day of Giving, urging all citizens to “give food and monetary resources to the local food kitchens, food banks, and churches who are engaged in meeting the needs of the city’s homeless and hungry. We also encourage the gift of time and prayer on behalf of those who suffer and for those who meet their needs.”
Ben Smith, president of the Tallahassee Stake of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, welcomed and encouraged the proclamation. The Tallahassee LDS Stake is comprised of seven congregations in Tallahassee as well as Church units in Thomasville, Cairo, Perry, Madison, Crawfordville, and Quincy.
“When service is rendered or service is received, goodness permeates these acts. Service brings light, warmth, and direction into our lives and into the lives of others,” said Smith. “It is as if a new day begins. We all have the capacity to give by some means. Whether giving of our material means, of our time, or by speaking a kind word, our community and neighbors will find light in their lives today. May we all be engaged in doing good, adding light to our world,” he added.
On Saturday, Dec. 11, a truckload of food from the Church’s Bishops’ Storehouse in Salt Lake City will be distributed as part of the Tallahassee Urban League’s Unity in the Community food distribution effort.
Food and supplies stored at the Utah Bishops’ Central Storehouse are distributed to central storehouses in five other regions of the United States and Canada. From these storehouses, food and materials are sent to more than 200 smaller bishops’ storehouses in communities of those regions for distribution.
Ecclesiastical leaders (bishops) of congregations in those communities can call in food and supply orders for their members who they determine are in need. Those members, in turn, have an opportunity to give volunteer service to pay for the goods received so that they are, in essence, given a hand up, not a handout.
The storehouse is a fully equipped facility and stores 143 different food and sundry items. Among the food items are corn, beans, turkey and beef chunks, cheese, milk, cereals, butter, ice cream, peanut butter, and a variety of produce, both fresh and canned. Also stocked are hand soap, shampoo, soap for washing dishes, toilet paper and other hygiene items.
The facility houses a fleet of Deseret Transportation semi-trucks and trailers with 44 loading docks to move products and necessities to wherever they are needed. The trucks and their drivers travel approximately 3.7 million miles each year with a safety record second to none.
