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SALT LAKE CITY — The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has made its largest one-time contribution to a humanitarian organization ever — $32 million to the United Nations World Food Program to help fight the current global food crisis. The World Food Program will use the funds to provide food and critical aid to nine countries, affecting 1.6 million of the most vulnerable people who are “driven to the brink of hunger” by global conflict and the brutal natural disasters that accompany climate change. change. The nine countries — Afghanistan, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Ethiopia, Haiti, Kenya, Nigeria, Somalia, South Sudan and Yemen — are located in what the organization calls the “ring of fire,” which stretches through the dry corridor of Central America Central and Northwest Africa and the Middle East. Bishop L. Todd Budge, second counselor in the church’s Presiding Diocese, presented the donation to World Food Program USA President and CEO Barron Segar and Deputy Executive Director of Partnerships and Advocacy Ute Klamert at the agency’s headquarters in Rome on Wednesday . “We are so grateful to partner with the World Food Program because we know they will bring food to those who need it most,” Bishop Budge said in a statement from the church. “And we thank the Latter-day Saints and friends of faith whose financial sacrifices made this gift possible. Such an offering makes God’s children a little happier and all of us a little holier.” WFP is the largest humanitarian organization in the world. Its mission is to “(save) lives in emergencies and use food aid to create a path to peace, stability and prosperity for people recovering from conflict, disaster and the impact of climate change” . In Somalia, the program has delivered record levels of humanitarian aid to avert predicted famine, and in Yemen, it has provided food aid to more than half the country’s population. Due to climate disasters, the COVID-19 pandemic and its impact on the global economy, the war in Ukraine and other conflicts worldwide, a record 345 million people face severe food insecurity, with 50 million “on the brink of starvation,” according to WFP website. “At this time of unprecedented global need, we are grateful for the transformative gift of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints,” Segar said in a statement. “The support of the private sector is critical to our mission, enabling WFP to scale up the food aid and resilience work that brings families stability and comfort in these difficult times. I am confident that the church’s gift will inspire others to join our movement to end world hunger.” “We accept this generous donation with gratitude and firm confidence in our ability to use it to deliver food to the most vulnerable, reach them in their time of need, help them escape harm, so they can survive and build resilience” . Klamert added. The Church of Jesus Christ typically gives about $1 billion annually to global humanitarian efforts, according to a church statement. The Church of Jesus Christ’s partnership with WFP began in 2014. WFP Executive Director David Beasley toured the church’s relief operations in Salt Lake City in 2019. the two organizations partnered to fill hunger gaps during the COVID pandemic -19. “My heart goes out to the millions of malnourished children who will benefit from this donation,” added Sister Camille N. Johnson, president of the faith’s Relief Society, a global women’s organization. “Jesus has a tender heart for children. He cries when he sees them starving. And he rejoices in the smallest effort to help them. A huge thank you to the World Food Program and everyone who contributes in any way to this cause.” x
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Jenny Rollins is a Utah-based freelance journalist and former KSL.com reporter. He has a bachelor’s degree from Brigham Young University and a master’s in journalism from Boston University.
