In celebration of the signing of the Declaration of Independence in 1776, volunteers across the country have been invited to “be part of the largest volunteer effort in United States history.”
Rosie Rios, chair of the America250 commission and former treasurer of the United States, said service is an important part of the 250th celebration.
“Service is how our country was founded,” she said. “Think about all the patriots who served in the American Revolutionary War. Think about all the veterans who have risked their lives on our behalf for us to enjoy the freedoms that we have today.”
Many charitable organizations are taking part in the America Gives initiative to provide service opportunities throughout the year.
JustServe is one of those partnering organizations. Developed and operated by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, JustServe is a free platform where community organizations list their service needs and where volunteers can find service opportunities around them.
A shift in the community
In 2025, as the America250 celebration approached, JustServe specialists across the country were challenged to think of ways to get involved.
Jess Whiting, a JustServe specialist in Meridian, Idaho, looked at the goal of the America Gives initiative and thought how her own state could get involved. She eventually came up with a goal for Idahoans to do 250,000 acts of service before July 4th and worked with state leaders to create the Idaho service challenge.
“This is an active way to participate in America’s history and in its future,” Whiting said.
Whiting said she’s seen “a little shift in our community” since the start of the year.
“I have noticed a subtle difference in our community and among all of our people here,” she said. “I feel like in a world where you don’t have a lot of control, and anger and polarity is happening like crazy, this is really neat to see we can make a difference.”
Whiting has been collecting submissions of stories from Idahoans who have taken part in some way, ranging from large service projects, to individual acts of kindness. As of mid-April, the Idaho Service Challenge reached over 150,000 acts of service.Here is a sampling of some of the submissions Whiting has received:
From Blackfood, Idaho: “I put a ramp in for my brother-in-law who has cancer. He is now in a wheelchair and couldn’t get out of his home. It makes it possible for my sister to help take him to doctor appointments without other help.”
From Kuna, Idaho: “I donated $500 to Kuna School District to help pay outstanding lunch debt for children.”
From Caldwell, Idaho: “I am 91 years old and wanted to knit hats for children that are underserved. I knitted 20 hats and gave them to children … in a school clothing closet. The children didn’t have anything warm to put on their head, and this will help the children keep warm.”
From Burley, Idaho: “I helped a lady whose insurance lapsed to obtain affordable insulin. She doesn’t drive and lives about 10 miles away from the pharmacy and I brought it to her apartment for her.”
From Meridian, Idaho: “I went to Twin Falls with a group I’m in and fed people in homeless shelters. We also did a free food drive, where we made spaghetti boxes for people who don’t have food, and they could come pick it up for free.”
From New Meadows, Idaho: “10 members of the graduating class of 1962 from Payette, Idaho, got together and shopped for food, clothing, toys, etc. This group was formed in 2009 and has amassed more than $60,000 in donations. All the donations were spent on clothes, food, toys, backpacks, paper, notebooks, and donated back to the Payette School District.”
From Eagle, Idaho: “I prepared and brought a meal to a couple. The husband is undergoing cancer treatment and dinner was brought for a treatment day. They were extremely grateful. Juggling failing health and many doctors appointments makes just this one little thing something simple that lifts their burden.”
Whiting said she has been “blown away by how positive and energizing the response has been.”
“It is powerful,” she said. “The things that people are doing and the scope of which they’re serving one another is inspiring.”
Building unity
Krystle Hoskin, a JustServe director in Fort Worth, Texas, said she’s seen more unity in her community as people have gotten involved — and excited — about serving those around them.
Hoskin said that focusing on service with others across the country has also helped civic leaders in her community see that service is not something unique, but something that unites the whole country.
“It doesn’t matter where we stand politically, because the goal is to help each other in the community,” she said. “And I just think there’s hope and joy and decreased contention as the community has started to serve more and more.”
In one service project tied to the America250 anniversary, a group of youth and young adults in Fort Worth helped put together snack packs for school children who don’t have food on the weekends. In other projects, volunteers have helped spread gravel at a nonprofit, done yard work at parks and distributed food at food banks.
“It brings people joy,” Hoskin said. “We’re seeing so many mental health challenges, and it won’t fix all of that, but I do believe it helps. I think it helps increase self-esteem and confidence. I think it decreases contention and it helps build bridges.”
Celebrating service with the Kansas City Royals
JustServe volunteers honored the 250th anniversary at a Kansas City Royals game on Thursday, April 9, 2026 with two service projects before the game.
For the first project, volunteers put together travel-sized wet wipes to donate to Kansas City Heroes to distribute to people living on the streets. Volunteers made 110 wet wipe bags. For the second project, volunteers put together dry bags for the homeless to keep personal items dry. Each gallon bag was packed with a 33-gallon bag, kitchen-size bags and quart-size bags. Volunteers made 110 of those too.
Elder G. Michael Ortiz, an Area Seventy of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, threw the first pitch of the game and said he enjoyed seeing so many people taking part.
“The evening was a powerful reminder of what can happen when a community unites around service,” he said. “It was meaningful to recognize Kansas City Heroes for their commitment to strengthening and uplifting individuals in the area.”
Food truck donations
As part of the America250 initiative, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints announced the donation of 250 truckloads of shelf-stable food to 250 food banks across the United States. The first of those donations left the Bishops’ Storehouse in Salt Lake City in November 2025 for food banks in Oregon, Arkansas, Texas, Missouri and Michigan.
Elder Gerrit W. Gong of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles said the historic 250-year milestone is an opportunity to foster a spirit of unity, peacemaking and goodwill.
“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,” he said.
As those donations have arrived at food banks, volunteers — many of them JustServe volunteers — were there to help unload, sort and distribute the food.
Thirty-three thousand pounds of food arrived at the LifeNet4Families food bank in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, on Feb. 14, 2026, and youth from the Coral Springs Florida Stake arrived the next day to help sort donations, pack the food and clean the facility.
“This generous support from the LDS Church will have an immediate and meaningful impact on the individuals and families we serve,” said Denise Brown, president and CEO of LifeNet4Families. “Each truckload represents more than food and supplies — it represents dignity, stability and a community coming together to ensure our neighbors are not left behind."
After a similar donation of food to the MANNA FoodBank in Mills River, North Carolina, Asheville North Carolina Stake President Kyle Gillett said it was a “sacred opportunity to put faith into action through compassionate service.”
“As members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, we believe Jesus Christ calls us to feed the hungry, care for those in need and love our neighbors,” President Gillett said. “We appreciate MANNA’s trusted work in this community and America250’s vision to commemorate our nation’s 250th anniversary through gratitude, unity and service.”
Said Micah Chrisman, MANNA FoodBank director of marketing and communication: “At a time when many families across Western North Carolina are still feeling the strain of rising costs and ongoing recovery challenges, this generous food donation arrives as a powerful reminder that we are not alone.”
