JustServe Volunteers Help Make Food Drives Successful

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By Mary Richards, Church News

Food drives in several communities in Utah, Texas and Arizona allowed members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and their friends and neighbors to follow the teachings of Jesus Christ to care for those in need — and the JustServe platform brought volunteers together to make a difference.

JustServe.org and the JustServe app allow nonprofit or charitable organizations to list their volunteer needs and allow volunteers to find service opportunities near them. Organizers of the food drives say this helped the efforts be more successful.

In Gilbert, Arizona, JustServe specialists worked closely with city leaders, businesses, schools and different faiths to come together to gather food to benefit local food pantries.

“It is a joy and an honor to work side by side with United Food Bank and the town of Gilbert to coordinate efforts that bless the lives of so many in our area,” said Rachel Hixon, a JustServe specialist in Gilbert.

The food drive was held in February, which Hixon said can be a hard month for local food banks as their holiday donations have ended. JustServe social media posts — such as Instagram reels featuring interviews with food bank workers — helped people see how their donations would be used to bless the lives of their neighbors.

The food pantries also posted projects on the JustServe website and app, which helped more people see how to sign up and continue to serve. At the end of the drive, the Gilbert community had collected 32,478 pounds of food at 56 locations, including 16 churches, 20 schools and 22 businesses.

“JustServe has been so grateful to be a part of this effort in a big way,” Hixon said.

Utah Food Drives

This year’s Feed Utah food drive was held on March 16 and provided food to the estimated 317,000 Utahns who face hunger.

Local food pantries reported that in the past two years, needs have gone up by almost 65% in some areas. Many who use the pantries and food banks are refugees or immigrants, but more Utah residents who have never needed help before are now seeking help because their income cannot meet the increased demand in food costs.

Church members and their neighbors responded in an extraordinary way. More than 600 stakes participated, with thousands of youth, neighbors, leaders, young single adults and families stepping up to help.

Allison Drew serves on the Church’s Utah Area communication council, and she and her husband, Craig, were the main point of contact for the Utah Food Bank and all the involved stakes; the Drews also coordinated with the JustServe specialists.

“Hundreds of thousands responded statewide to help feed our hungry neighbors,” Drew said. “The phenomenal support this year was a witness of those who are living the two great commandments to love God and love their neighbor.”

The Woods Cross High School JustServe Club were among those volunteers. Harrison Bradley, who was the president of the club last year, said around 100 club members give service at various nonprofit organizations in the community every other week — and were grateful to be a part of the Feed Utah campaign.

“The biggest impact of service on my club has been learning to love others where they are at and realizing that everyone has needs and they can be fulfilled through serving and being served as well,” Harrison said.

JustServe also helped the Springville Kiwanis Club in Utah with their major fundraiser and food drive last year.

Volunteers were able to sign up for time slots over several days of making and selling scones during the summer fundraiser. And then during the holiday season, approximately 600 volunteers worked over the course of the food drive to prepare food donation bags, distribute the bags in the community, then accept and sort food donations.

Past Kiwanis Club president John Jacobson said having JustServe was a big help.

“It is because of JustServe that we’re able to sign up the needed volunteers to make this annual project so successful,” he said. “It’s an outstanding platform available to Church members and nonmembers alike.”

Springville residents donated 42,000 pounds of food in December for the annual food drive, which the volunteers used to fill nearly 500 boxes of food for those in need. They also placed labels on 11,000 bags, and a gift card, library coupon and sports vouchers were given to families with children to be able to participate in Springville sports and get a free library book.

“We had volunteers who came from all over the state and from parts of Idaho to help. There was one ward from Provo, Utah, who brought 25 ward members to help,” Jacobsen said. “It truly is a community effort. And because of JustServe, it has lightened the load on a few because it spreads it out to many.”

The Power of Uniting

Cities, neighborhoods, corporations, faith-based groups and other organizations collected jars of peanut butter for the 10th Annual Peanut Butter Drive organized by the North Texas Food Bank in late 2023.

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints was named as the top faith-based organization for its contributions, and several members of the Church served on the food drive committee. The Allen, Plano and Heath Texas Stakes took part, both by collecting peanut butter and posting the project JustServe.

The campaign raised 343,065 pounds of peanut butter, which is a healthy, kid-friendly and shelf-stable item for people in need.

The president and CEO of the North Texas Food Bank, Trisha Cunningham, spoke to the power of people uniting as officials thanked the Church and JustServe for their partnership and support.

“We are so grateful for the community’s enthusiasm and support of our annual Peanut Butter Drive,” Cunningham said. “As the North Texas Food Bank continues to distribute record levels of food, the support of the peanut butter drive helps us provide nutritious food to the more than 218,000 children facing hunger in North Texas.”

The president and CEO of the Utah Food Bank, Ginette Bott, shared similar thoughts about uniting after Utah’s successful food drive.

“There is power to make a difference when so many groups and individuals collaborate to help fight hunger statewide,” Bott said.

Benefits of Service

Jacobson said that when he moved to Springville, Utah, in 2018 and saw the city’s first food drive, he was quite touched.

“It was like, this is amazing, to see how giving the Springville residents are to help each other and fill these needs,” he said.

He said sometimes someone may not feel like volunteering or leaving their comfort zone, but when they do, they realize how rewarding it is and how good they feel afterward.

“It doesn’t matter if you are given service to church members or wherever you give it, the Lord blesses you and you feel it. There is a sense of the Spirit being with you. As we serve our fellow beings, we are only in the service of our God. We love God and love our neighbors.”

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