News Story

Donation 'Drive-thru' Commemorates Sesquicentennial

Australian teens mark 150th anniversary of worldwide youth organisation by helping homeless individuals

To commemorate the 150th anniversary of the formation of the Young Women organisation of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, leaders of the Church have invited young women around the world to think of an activity they can do associated with the number “150.”

The challenge is called “#My 150.”

For their “150,” youth from the Windaroo Ward (congregation) in Queensland decided to collect 150 canned goods and non-perishables and donate them to a local charity.

Due to COVID-19 restrictions, the young volunteers set up a drive-thru donation process.

“Cars came by and we took the bags of food and cans safely through the windows with gloves,” said one young helper, Ella Tuiatua.

“There were cars every five minutes, so it was very nice to see that so many people were thinking of the cause and wanted to help out.”

In total, they gathered 206 items, exceeding their goal.

              

The canned food and non-perishable items were donated to Nightlight Outreach Inc.

During their meeting with Nightlight Outreach co-founder and careleader, John Porter, the young women learned more about the Christian charitable organisation.

With the motto, “Love in Action,” Nightlight serves homeless and other vulnerable individuals.

Youth leader Jane Marsden explained, “It was awesome to see the young women work together. This has been our first activity since COVID-19 started and it’s been interesting to find ways to serve and keep safe amongst all the restrictions.”

Jane continued, “It was awesome to meet John Porter and see what they do for our community. From listening to John, I realised that our donation came at the right time and it sounds like it was very much needed.”

John expressed his appreciation to the young women for their service and the donation.

Young men and women in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints are encouraged to live the standards in the booklet, “For the Strength of Youth,” which includes a chapter on serving others.

Youth are taught that “service is an important characteristic of a disciple of Jesus Christ. A disciple is willing to bear other people’s burdens and to comfort those who need comfort.

The young women of Windaroo partnered with Nightlight Outreach Inc. to do just that.

Style Guide Note:When reporting about The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, please use the complete name of the Church in the first reference. For more information on the use of the name of the Church, go to our online Style Guide.