From Water Drives to Community Gardens, Latter-day Saints Serve Across U.S. Southwest Area

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By Carly Ludlow, Church News

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Members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints across the United States Southwest Area are serving their communities in a variety of ways, bringing together children, youth and adults to meet local needs.

From collecting drinking water to preparing community gardens and serving alongside people who experienced homelessness, Latter-day Saints in New Mexico and Texas are finding ways to make a difference through service.

Primary Children Lead Water Drive

Inspired and led by Primary children, members of the Albuquerque New Mexico West Stake collected more than 2,500 gallons of drinking water during a water drive on May 9, 2026.

After learning of a need for drinking water in the community of To’hajilee, the Primary children’s service committee organized the drive. They decorated boxes, made announcements during church meetings and invited members of the community to donate gallon water jugs. Primary children were also encouraged to complete extra chores to earn money to purchase water for the drive.

After three weeks of collecting donations, more than 100 gallon containers of water and many packages of bottled water had been gathered. A local hospital’s special response unit also heard about the drive and arrived with a truck full of water.

“This is such an incredible opportunity for these children,” one community member from the hospital said.

The Primary children not only loaded water onto the truck but also participated in other service projects, including making flower bouquets and care packages and writing thank-you cards for military personnel and police officers.

“The Primary children taught me as the Savior has, through inspiration, love, service and hope,” said Rebecca Hawthorne, stake Primary president, in an article about the event.

Youth Prepare New Garden

On April 11, more than 30 Latter-day Saint youth and adults gathered at the Community Pantry and Hope Garden in Grants, New Mexico, to help prepare a new garden area.

Volunteers filled garden boxes with wood chips, grass, leaf cuttings and specially mixed soil as they worked to prepare the garden for planting.

“It’s amazing what could be done in such a short amount of time when a group of community members work together,” said Alice Perez, director of Community Pantry. “In just three hours, the goal of having 30 boxes ready to be topped with garden soil was met.”

The volunteers began working at 8 a.m. and continued until the project was complete.

Garden assistant George Lopez said the work would have taken much longer without the volunteers.

“It would have taken us a week or more to fill those boxes,” Lopez said. “The help from these good folks is very much appreciated. A little help goes a long way.”

The Community Pantry and Hope Garden provide members of the community with garden spaces where they can grow their own food. The project helps make fresh food more accessible and encourages healthy eating.

“At the end of the day, it’s all about food accessibility,” Perez said.

Service at Community First! Village

More than 80 volunteers from the Austin Texas Stake joined Community First! Village on May 30 for an annual Youth Service Day.

Volunteers served in a variety of roles, including distributing vegetables at the community’s farmers market and spending time with residents. Community First! Village provides affordable, permanent housing and a supportive community for men and women transitioning out of chronic homelessness.

Volunteers also received a tour of the village from one of its first residents.

“It was really nice to serve people and see how happy it made them,” said Alex Solter, a youth from the Austin Texas Stake.

“It was good to see a place where people could find a home, be happy and contribute to the community,” said Shane McGarry, an adult volunteer. “It was nice to be able to share some time with them as we worked to beautify the community. It was meaningful to see that the Church’s contribution would have a big impact on many people at Community First! Village.”

The Church also donated a grant to support new-neighbor move-ins at the village.

Youth Help Food Insecurity

In Denton, Texas, more than 90 youth volunteers gathered at Shiloh Field Community Garden on April 25 to serve alongside members of Mount Zion Praise Church.

The youth spent the day weeding, planting and helping grow food for local families experiencing food insecurity.

Shiloh Field Community Garden provides produce, honey and eggs to families in the community. Through their service, volunteers helped prepare the garden to continue providing nutritious food to those in need.

“It was really nice helping out at Shiloh Gardens,” said Matson Filler, youth from the Denton Texas Stake. “I enjoyed working with everyone and doing something good for the community.”

Across the United States Southwest Area, these and additional service projects are bringing people together across generations and faith communities while helping meet needs close to home.