As part of the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence, Latter-day Saints in Idaho have participated in several recent efforts to serve those in need.
Volunteers gathered at the state capitol in Boise, Idaho, on Thursday, January 22, to assemble hygiene kits for schools across the state.
Megan Lemarie, president and CEO of United Way of the Treasure Valley, said the kits give families in need one less thing to worry about budgeting.
“Think about opportunities to alleviate some of the stress for your family,” Lemarie says. “And think about the increased confidence it gives our children to know that they have what they need to stay healthy and strong, and that they are ready to perform and learn at their best in the classroom.”
This service project was introduced on the same day the Idaho Legislature unanimously voted to designate 2026 as the Year of Voluntaryism. The resolution includes a call for Idahoans of all ages to participate in 250,000 acts of service each year.
In a Jan. 23 news release from ChurchofJesusChrist.org, Eddie Trask, executive director of Catholic Charities of Idaho, said using freedom to serve others is a central tenet of our independence as a nation.
“If you don’t use the freedom you’ve been given for good, helping your neighbor, what good is that freedom if it’s used only for yourself?” Trask said.
Jessica Cooper Whiting, Idaho’s Just Serve expert and executive director of America250, the Idaho Service Challenge Committee, said she is excited to see how the state’s focus on service will bring people together.
“In a world where there is so much anger and conflict, there is a beautiful light that comes from serving one another,” she said.
JustServe is working with the America250 initiative to make 2026 a record year for volunteerism.
The JustServe platform is a free website and app where community organizations can list their service needs and volunteers can find service opportunities around them. Church members and friends can find service projects in their communities listed on a special America250 landing page on JustServe.org.
food donation
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints donated 40,000 pounds of food to the Rexburg East Idaho Community Action Partnership on Wednesday, January 21st.
The donation is part of the church’s donation of 250 truckloads of food to 250 food banks across the United States as part of the America 250 celebration.
“There is an incredible amount of food insecurity here in Rexburg,” said Morgan Dortch, coordinator of the East Idaho Regional Action Partnership. “There are a lot of people who are very grateful just to have something.”
Rexburg Just Serve coordinator Eric Andreasen echoed Dortch’s comments. He added that service is central to the gospel of Jesus Christ.
“I feel good when I go out and serve,” Andreasen said. “There’s something so much more fulfilling about actually interacting with people than sitting around doing nothing. You can call it the spirit of Christ, or the spirit of community. You can’t find that other than when you go out and serve others.”
