A service organized by Relief Society members throughout the Southeastern United States region of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints brought women together to help those in need and serve like Jesus Christ.
Below are examples from Alabama, Georgia, Florida, and Louisiana.
Helping Alabama Teens
The women of the Montgomery Alabama Stake regularly seek opportunities to serve others, and one such opportunity came through a service event on Saturday, March 7, benefiting the organization Teen Empowerment Awareness with Resolutions (TEARS).
Stake found an opportunity to support TEARS through JustServe.org. This website allows organizations to list their needs and volunteers to find opportunities to serve in their communities.
The organization had posted on JustServe about the need for feminine hygiene kits and blankets for teens. Women from around the stake brought donations to fill the kits and assemble them during the activity. Women also tied colorful fleece blankets and wrote messages of encouragement.
A total of 50 complete hygiene kits and 50 blankets were prepared for donation, as well as some additional supplies.
It began with a message about service, how to involve young women in ministering, and the meaning of true sacrifice. Stake Relief Society President Susan Green encouraged the women to continue on the covenant path and keep Jesus Christ at the center of everything they do.
Ms. Green said of the initiative, “I was so touched by the sisters working together to make beautiful blankets and hygiene kits for underprivileged teens. Their energy and enthusiasm was overwhelming. As I collected blankets and kits for distribution, my heart overflowed. … I hope that our efforts will help them know that they are loved and that they are holy daughters of God who know their suffering and desire to inspire them.”
Indi Butterfield of the Montgomery Ward said, “Participating today brought light to my life because it gave me the opportunity to interact with sisters across the stake and learn from their wisdom. . . . I left feeling like I had been served and it brightened my day.”
“One by One” in Georgia
The Columbus Georgia Stake Relief Society held its annual Women’s Conference on Saturday, February 28th with the theme “One by One.”
After assessing the needs of the community, Relief Society focused on three areas of service: A local neonatal intensive care unit for premature babies, a police and fire first responder unit to help children in need, and the Stewart Community Home, which serves vulnerable adults.
Stake women donated 150 sensory kits and 100 hygiene kits, along with towels and sheet sets. The stake provided materials for the sisters to make 200 premature baby blankets and 350 premature baby hats.
“A special thank you to you and everyone responsible for making this wonderful day possible. You gave us so many essentials,” said Jim Accordino, executive director of Stewart Community Home.
“We wanted to focus our women’s conference service efforts to meet the needs of our stake community,” said Kathryn Hall, stake Relief Society president. “Participation in our conferences has doubled from last year because deep down we all want to serve our fellow men.”
The women who attended the conference expressed how much they were having fun and loved the opportunity to serve their community.
Florida’s “Joyger”
On Saturday, February 7th, the women of the Cocoa Florida Stake Relief Society made “joy jars” as gifts for seniors served by Aging Matters of Brevard County, Florida. These were glass mason jars filled with individually wrapped chocolates and decorated with cute fabrics and ribbons on top.
The following week, the stake Relief Society presidency delivered all 142 jars to Aging Matters for distribution to seniors at home on Valentine’s Day. Stacey Krueger, who runs the organization’s Meals on Wheels program, was moved by the thoughtfulness and creative design and thanked each Relief Society member for the difference they make in the lives of others.
“It was amazing to see the joy on the faces of the women who worked together to create a ‘Valentine Masterpiece,’ knowing that the elderly in our community would feel our love on Valentine’s Day,” said Betty Jean Humphreys, first counselor in the stake Relief Society presidency.
Blood donation drive in Louisiana
To celebrate the Relief Society’s 184th anniversary and commemorate the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence, the Relief Society of Alexandria Louisiana Stake has organized a day of service for Saturday, March 14th.
For this service, the stake center, along with Lifeshare, hosted a blood drive for area boys in need of blood transfusions. Other service activities included collecting blankets and hats, writing letters, and putting together hygiene kits to help those in need in the community.
