The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is sending 250 truckloads of food donations to food banks around the country to celebrate next year’s 250th anniversary of the United States.
The first five truckloads will leave from the Bishops’ Central Storehouse in Salt Lake City next week for food banks in Oregon, Arkansas, Texas, Missouri and Michigan, according to a Thursday, Nov. 13, news release on ChurchofJesusChrist.org.
The donation in Michigan will go to the Fish of Grand Blanc food bank in gratitude for the generous support given to members of the Church by people in the community following a shooting at a Latter-day Saint chapel in September.
After these first five truckloads, the other truckloads of donations will be distributed throughout 2026.
Each truck will carry approximately 40,000 pounds of food supplies donated by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. This will include a variety of fruits, vegetables, meats, pasta, flour, pancake mix and dried milk.
The goods are produced by the Church and funded by Church member donations.
“Our trucks can be loaded and dispatched anywhere they’re needed,” said Blaine Maxfield, managing director of the Church’s Welfare and Self-Reliance Services. “Following the example of Jesus Christ, we strive to love our neighbor. Each of us can have an impact in our own communities through service.”
America250 initiative
The America250 initiative is part of the U.S. Semiquincentennial Commission established by Congress in 2016 to plan and orchestrate the 250th anniversary of the 1776 signing of the Declaration of Independence of the United States.
“As we mark this historic milestone, we hope to foster a spirit of unity, peacemaking and goodwill,” said Elder Gerrit W. Gong of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles. “The anniversary is an opportunity for all to come together, serve together, and express gratitude for the freedoms that have allowed all faiths — including ours — to flourish.”
The Church will continue to celebrate the anniversary with service, family history activities and music.
JustServe is also collaborating with the America250 initiative to make 2026 a record-setting year of volunteer service.
The JustServe platform is a free website and app where community organizations list their service needs and where 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.
The commission is chaired by Rosie Rios, former treasurer of the United States, who was in Salt Lake City for the donation announcement on Thursday, Nov. 13, along with commissioners Cathy Gillespie and Lynn Forney Young. They also received a tour of the Bishops’ Central Storehouse.
“What we just saw in our tour … reminds us all why we do what we do,” Rios said. “Although technically, yes, we are celebrating the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence, I think this is really, for me, a moment of unity, not just independence. It’s unity here in what the Church is doing, what the Church has always done and what the Church continues to do.”
Gillespie said the announcement is about more than just food donations: “It is about inspiring a spirit of service that defines who we are as Americans.”
Elder Michael A. Dunn, a General Authority Seventy, noted that the Church was founded in the United States in 1830 “thanks in great measure to the religious freedoms established by the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution.”
Elder Dunn added: “It’s really fitting that as we prepare to celebrate the 200th anniversary of the founding of our Church just four years from now, we join today with other faiths and other organizations this year to commemorate this very pivotal moment in our nation’s history.”
This donation follows the recent donation of two semitrucks full of food for families in Chicago in September.
Members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints strive to follow the two great commandments — to love God and love one another.
Sister Tracy Y. Browning, second counselor in the Primary general presidency, attended the donation announcement on Thursday and said she often asks children how they can serve someone.
“It’s always surprising to me that one of the most common answers that they give is to share their food with one of their friends,” Sister Browning said. “This teaches me that even our youngest children recognize when their friends are hungry and instinctively want to help fill empty bellies. Their natural inclination to notice hunger in their friends and respond with compassion and support reminds us why this effort really matters.”
