On Saturday, May 30th, approximately 1,500 young people from across Europe gathered in Burnley, England, to serve women and children in need in Lancashire, England.
The project, coordinated and funded by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, was part of the One by One Young Single Adult Conference, held May 29-31 in Manchester, England. In addition to service projects, the event included temple services, social activities, and a special meeting with Elder Clark G. Gilbert of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles.
For the service project, young people aged 18 to 35 gathered at Turf Moor, home of Burnley Football Club, to prepare six months’ worth of food and assemble more than 1,500 hygiene kits for three local charities supporting women and children, the church’s UK newsroom recently reported.
Elder Mark Anthony Dundon, Area Seventy of Great Britain, said he hopes the project will inspire young people to serve their communities in love, regardless of their nationality, faith or background.
“One of our goals in bringing these young people together was to give them the opportunity to be an answer to the prayers of others,” Elder Dundon said. “We wanted them to feel that every item they packed was going to someone in need. We believe that is the spirit of the ministry and the gospel of Jesus Christ.”
“Incredible energy and dedication”
Three local charities, Lancashire Women, Safenet and Burnley FC in the Community, were selected as beneficiaries due to the breadth and urgency of the needs they address across Burnley and the Lancashire region.
Burnley County Councilor Oliver Ryan visited the service project, spoke to the young people taking part and learned about the charities benefiting from the initiative.
“I’ve been really amazed by the work the young people have done here in Burnley,” he said. “It was amazing to see young people from 24 countries come together in the heart of our community to support organizations such as Lancashire Women, Safenet and BFC in their communities.
“But most importantly, we want to thank the young people who gave up their weekends to come here. The work you do will make a huge difference to people’s lives.”
Helen Garman is the CEO of Burnley FC in the Community, the charitable arm of Burnley Football Club. She noted the “incredible energy and dedication” young people brought to service projects.
“The scale achieved in just one day is astonishing and will make a huge difference to individuals and families across Burnley and Lancashire who rely on our food bank services,” Mr Garman said. “Partnerships like this demonstrate the power of communities coming together to support others, and we are grateful to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and all the volunteers who have donated their time and effort.”
