In the month of October, members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Peru participated in service projects, donated food and supplies to people in need and delivered wheelchairs to patients.
Food donations
On Oct. 13, the Church donated 500 bags of basic food supplies for people in need in the Tayacaja Province in the Huancavelica region. The event was organized by Peru’s Joint Command of the Armed Forces as part of a collaboration with civic, governmental and local organizations, according to the Church’s Peru Newsroom.
Peru’s first lady, Lilia Paredes, attended and thanked the Church and participating institutions for their efforts to benefit vulnerable populations.
Paredes wrote on Facebook that besides the groceries, the donation also included 200 pairs of shoes: “A special thank you to the Women’s Ministry and The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints for their important involvement in helping meet the needs of the population of this area of our country,” she said.
The next day, in the district of San Juan de Lurigancho, the Church made a donation of 120 bags of groceries for families in need, with more bulk food donated to two food kitchens in the community.
The second counselor in the Lima Peru Wiesse Stake presidency, President Luis T. Lazo Arevalo, was accompanied by local Church Welfare and Self-Reliance managers and senior missionary couples to make the formal delivery.
The donation was in coordination with the Guatemalan Consulate in the city of Lima, reported Peru Newsroom.
Service projects
Young adults ages 18 to 30 from the Cusco Peru Stake and Cusco Peru Inti Raymi Stake took part in a day of community service at a shelter for minors in their community.
On Oct. 15, the volunteers weeded and planted in the gardens, washed dishes and cleaned clothing at the San Judas Chico Children’s Shelter in Cusco, reported Peru Newsroom.
Heidi Sánchez Huamán, who participated in the service activity, commented: “It makes me happy to be able to help others, because when we are at the service of our fellow men, we are only at the service of God.”
On Oct. 17, young men and young women ages 14 to 17 from the Piura Peru Castilla Stake took part in a day of service at a school in Piura.
The youth cleaned the inside and outside of the educational facility, helped decorate the classrooms and restored the school’s bulletin board. They also cleaned and washed games and maintained the gardens in the study center.
Peru Newsroom reported that the school director thanked the young men and young women for their interest in the well-being of others and for having improved the conditions of the school.
In return, the youth explained that they did the service to follow the example of the Lord Jesus Christ and expressed their joy in benefiting the community.
Wheelchair donation
The Church delivered a donation of 290 wheelchairs to the National Institute of Rehabilitation at its offices in Chorrillos on Oct. 13 — which is also the National Day of Persons with Disabilities in Peru.
Peru Newsroom reported that Lima Peru Chorrillos Stake President Luis A. Zegarra was accompanied by Welfare and Self-Reliance Services missionaries and other local Church authorities for the donation.
During a special program, the institute demonstrated its work and patients showed their sports and dance skills. They also expressed gratitude for the Church’s donation and help with reintegrating patients into society.
