BYU Women’s Conference service projects bless those in need
‘A tremendous amount of good is accomplished when we work together and give just a little bit of our time’
Women make caterpillars for children with autism during a service project at BYU Women's Conference in Provo, Utah, on Thursday, May 2, 2024. Joel Estrella Ramirez, BYU Continuing Education
During the 2024 BYU Women’s Conference, women worked side by side on multiple service projects during the annual Evening of Service on Thursday, May 2.
From packaging food for those in need, to sewing Christmas stockings and teddy bears, to tying fleece blankets, women cheerfully skipped classes and missed meals to keep working to help those in need.
Lorelie Sander, a program administrator with BYU Women’s Conference who oversaw the Evening of Service, said she was inspired by the thousands of women who participated in the service event.
“A tremendous amount of good is accomplished when we work together and give just a little bit of our time,” Sander said.
While projects such as these meet temporal needs, many emotional and spiritual needs are also met as volunteers care for those in need.
“When we minister to others and serve in Christlike ways, we help others feel the love Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ have for them, and through serving, we also feel the great love They have for us,” she said.
In total, the attendees made:
676 caterpillar sensory toys
2,430 bookmarks
227 Christmas stockings
712 infant fleece blankets
255 teddy bears
335,496 meal kits
The items will be donated to local agencies, who will distribute them to members of the community in need. The meal kits project was funded by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and assembled in partnership with Hunger Fight.
From the volunteer teams who prepare and oversee the projects to the attendees who serve, and from BYU staff and student employees who assist with setup and cleanup to the recipients of project donations, each individual who touches these projects in any way is touched in return, Sander explained.
“In the communities in which we live, we are surrounded by children of God who feel alone, discouraged, hopeless or forgotten,” Sander said. “We hope that in a small way the meals, blankets, toys and other items we provide send a clear message to every individual that they are seen, their needs are known, they are loved and there are better days ahead.”
See photos from the service below.
Women sew Christmas stockings during the Evening of Service at BYU Women’s Conference in Provo, Utah, on Thursday, May 2, 2024. | Lorelie Sander, BYU Women’s Conference
Two women stuff teddy bears for a service project at BYU Women's Conference in Provo, Utah, on Thursday, May 2, 2024. | Joel Estrella Ramirez, BYU Continuing Education
Women make teddy bears during the Evening of Service at BYU Women’s Conference in Provo, Utah, on Thursday, May 2, 2024. | Lorelie Sander, BYU Women’s Conference
Finished teddy bears made by volunteers at BYU Women’s Conference in Provo, Utah, on Thursday, May 2, 2024. | Lorelie Sander, BYU Women’s Conference
Women pause for a photo as they make caterpillars for children with autism during a service project at BYU Women's Conference in Provo, Utah, on Thursday, May 2, 2024. | Joel Estrella Ramirez, BYU Continuing Education
Women make caterpillars for children with autism during a service project at BYU Women's Conference in Provo, Utah, on Thursday, May 2, 2024. | Joel Estrella Ramirez, BYU Continuing Education
Women make caterpillars for children with autism during the annual Evening of Service at BYU Women's Conference in Provo, Utah, on Thursday, May 2, 2024. | Joel Estrella Ramirez, BYU Continuing Education
Women pause for a group photo during the Evening of Service at BYU Women's Conference in Provo, Utah, on Thursday, May 2, 2024. | Joel Estrella Ramirez, BYU Continuing Education
A volunteer carries a stack of fleece blankets ready to be tied by volunteers at BYU Women’s Conference in Provo, Utah, on Thursday, May 2, 2024. | Lorelie Sander, BYU Women’s Conference
Ingredients are ready to be packaged into meals for Hunger Fight during the Evening of Service at BYU Women’s Conference in Provo, Utah, on Thursday, May 2, 2024. | Lorelie Sander, BYU Women’s Conference
Women package meals for Hunger Fight during the Evening of Service at BYU Women’s Conference in Provo, Utah, on Thursday, May 2, 2024. | Joel Estrella Ramirez, BYU Continuing Education
Women package meals for Hunger Fight during the Evening of Service at BYU Women’s Conference in Provo, Utah, on Thursday, May 2, 2024. | Joel Estrella Ramirez, BYU Continuing Education
Women package meals for Hunger Fight during the Evening of Service at BYU Women’s Conference in Provo, Utah, on Thursday, May 2, 2024. | Joel Estrella Ramirez, BYU Continuing Education
Women package meals for Hunger Fight during the Evening of Service at BYU Women’s Conference in Provo, Utah, on Thursday, May 2, 2024. | Joel Estrella Ramirez, BYU Continuing Education