Governor’s Office of Community Initiatives and First Lady Yumi Hogan Celebrate Church’s Donation of 600,000 Pounds of Food

“Just Serve” Initiative Encourages Service

ANNAPOLIS, MD—The Governor’s Office of Community Initiatives and First Lady Yumi Hogan today recognized The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints for donating more than 600,000 pounds of food over the last six years as it delivered another 40,000 pounds to the Maryland Food Bank. 

“Service is one of the most important things we can do as Americans,” said First Lady Yumi Hogan. “The dedication of the church and the spirit of Marylanders who volunteer in the community fills my heart with joy. We can always do more to help others.” 

In 2015, Maryland, Virginia, West Virginia, and Washington, D.C. committed to working with The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints to promote volunteerism and service by asking citizens to pick at least one day to volunteer with a local organization, group, or as an individual. The Just Serve initiative offers a single website to find service opportunities in various cities at JustServe.org. Earlier this month, the church delivered 80,000 pounds of food to the Anne Arundel County Food Bank. 

“Food insecurity has long been an issue in our state, but as more Marylanders continue to experience the health and economic consequences of the pandemic, donations from community partners remain even more critical to meet this heightened demand,” said Maryland Food Bank President & CEO Carmen Del Guercio. “Donating more than 600,000 pounds of food to assist Marylanders in need is an incredible milestone, and I want to thank the Church of Jesus Christ Latter-day Saints for their consistent dedication to our food-insecure neighbors.”

State employees can find more details about using administrative leave for service activities by visiting goci.maryland.gov/dts/.