Serving Locally Helps With Church’s Global Efforts to Bless Women and Children

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This story appears here courtesy of TheChurchNews.com. It is not for use by other media.

By Mary Richards, Church News

Many individuals and families look to serve others during the Christmas season and give to those in need. 

Throughout its history, the Relief Society of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has sought to bring relief to people around the world. 

In 2024, the Relief Society General Presidency expanded a global initiative to improve the health and well-being of women and children around the world through maternal and newborn care, child nutrition efforts, immunizations and education worldwide. 

“Global progress starts with nourishing children and strengthening women,” said Relief Society General President Camille N. Johnson. “When you bless a woman, you bless a family, a community, a nation. When you bless a child, you invest in the future.” 

Today, women of the Relief Society can be a part of those efforts as well in their own communities. Those who follow the Savior’s commandment to care for those in need are a part of this global effort when they seek to offer the Savior’s relief to those closest to them. 

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“You are a part of this global effort when you tenderly care for your own child, teach a friend to read, patiently address the needs of an elderly neighbor, cry with a sister who is grieving, prepare food for the sick and minister as the Savior would,” President Johnson has said. 

For examples of ways to help in one’s own sphere, see 25 ideas as first listed and on caring.ChurchofJesusChrist.org and in the Church News in June 2024, or listed again at the end of this article. 

Examples of Giving Relief Through History 

In 1876, the Relief Society started a wheat storage initiative. The stores of wheat that these women maintained were used in times of need. 

“The Church sent Relief Society wheat to American Indians in Utah; to survivors of a terrible earthquake and fire in San Francisco, California, in 1906; and to people in China who were suffering from a famine in 1907. The wheat also provided nourishment for thousands during World War I, when the Relief Society sold 200,000 bushels to the United States government” (“Daughters in My Kingdom,” chapter 4). 

Besides wheat, the Relief Society also sent bedding and clothing to San Francisco after the 1906 tragedy — working all day and into the night to pack railroad cars. 

“While many came to the aid of the victims, supplies from the women of the Relief Society were some of the first to reach the city,” explains a Relief Society Worldwide post. “Because these women had diligently prepared, they were ready to serve. The moment they heard such an extraordinary call for help.” 

In 1882, the Relief Society founded the Deseret Hospital, and in 1924, it founded the Cottonwood Maternity Hospital to help lower mortality rates for mothers and infants. In the early 1920s, led by Amy Brown Lyman, local Relief Societies joined with state and local health agencies to help families have resources and information surrounding childbirth, explained Church historian Jessica M. Nelson in a Relief Society Worldwide post. 

“As these reports came back in, we can see that the Relief Society had already made a difference,” Nelson said. “Because of Amy Brown Lyman and these relief Society Sisters, we see that far more women and children survived childbirth and were able to thrive.” 

In 1896, the Relief Society aided in securing women’s right to vote in the Utah Constitution. In 1919, the Relief Society launched the Relief Society Social Service Department to provide support to the community after World War I. This became part of the Church Welfare program in 1969. 

In 1935, a 15-year-old girl found herself struggling to care for her younger brothers and sisters, doing her best to fill the role of mother, explained a Relief Society Worldwide post. Her coat was worn and tattered. Having been taught to ask the Relief Society for help, she went to the Relief Society building in Salt Lake City. Not only did she receive a warm new coat, but her siblings were also given new bedding. 

Relief Society General President Louise Y. Robison shared this story in the April 1936 Relief Society session of general conference, saying, “Relief Society has never shirked a duty. Let us pray for the ability to succor those in need, that the cries of the widows and orphans may not ascend to our Father in Heaven against us.” 

In 1991, the Relief Society launched literacy programs among at-risk communities. In 2021, a collaboration began with community organizations to care for Black mothers and infants in several U.S. cities. In 2023, the Relief Society worked with UNICEF in Uganda to treat and educate about malnutrition, and in 2024, it expanded a global effort to improve the well-being of women and children. 

For more information about how the Relief Society has provided relief through its history, read “Daughters in My Kingdom: The History and Work of Relief Society” in the Gospel Library. 

25 Ways to Participate in the Global Effort to Bless Women and Children

1. Support the literacy and education of women and children by identifying and combating barriers in the community. 
2. Help children read aloud. Nothing improves children’s cognitive skills more than reading with adults who care about them. 
3. Find out what challenges in the community might be keeping new mothers from accessing prenatal care. Seek to address those challenges. 
4. Dance, jump, climb and play on the floor with children. Movement aids in developing children’s brains and strengthening their growing bodies. 
5. Plant a garden and share the produce with neighbors. Include children in taking care of the garden. 
6. Learn about preserving food so it can be eaten when out of season. Set aside non-perishable food, when possible, to build an emergency reserve. 
7. Learn what can be done to help families who are dependent upon food distribution in the community and assist in addressing that challenge. 
8. Work with local government to ensure the community’s access to clean water, air and food sources are free from contaminants and impurities. 
9. Plan Relief Society activities that provide support and education related to the global initiative efforts, and counsel in Relief Society about ways to participate. 
10. Mentor a woman on the path to self-reliance. 
11. When possible, exclusively breastfeed newborn babies for the first six months. Begin introducing babies to nutritious foods at six months, and keep breastfeeding to supplement babies with all the nutrients they need for at least a year. 
12. Ensure a private and supportive environment at church and work for mothers who breastfeed or pump. 
13. Encourage regular physical check-ups to get needed care, including preventative care, pre- and postnatal care for pregnant women and routine vaccines for children. 
14. Eat healthy foods with children. Let them help choose and prepare the meal or snack. Talk about the benefits of nutritious foods while preparing together. 
15. Find other refreshments besides sugary treats for church activities, sports practice and after-school snacks. 
16. Interact with babies and toddlers early and often. Making eye contact, talking and playing with babies builds strong connections in their brains. 
17. Help a child with homework after school. 
18. Give books as gifts, and share the reason it was specifically chosen it for that person. Having books in the home provides the opportunity to learn and develop. 
19. Support local lending libraries and other free resources with books. 
20. Speak to local schools about their goals for nutritious meals and snacks. Consider what parents and the community can do to help. 
21. Talk with children early and often. Tell them stories, and let them share their stories. 
22. Reinforce a child’s self-worth by helping them identify their gifts and talents. Help children use their gifts and talents to bless others. 
23. Give children responsibility in the home to help them value work, learn the importance of teamwork and self-reliance and build their self-worth. 
24. Fast and donate a monetary offering. Refraining from meals so someone else can eat is one simple way to help. 
25. Join or post a project on JustServe that helps women and children in the community. 

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