The Saint Olaf Ladies of Charity (LOC) in Bountiful and the Our Lady of Lourdes Ladies of Charity in Salt Lake City distributed 102 backpacks donated by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS) Centerville Humanitarian Service Room. Each of the backpacks contained three notebooks, pencils, colored pencils, a pencil sharpener, a ruler and scissors. The LOC distributed the backpacks to more than 100 children in the 95 families they serve each month by providing them with a supplemental box of food.
The relationship between the LOC and the Humanitarian Service Room began two years ago when the LDS organization’s supervisors, Bennett and Ailsa Peterson, met Daughter of Charity Sister Germaine Sarrazin one day in the Bountiful City Post Office. Sister is the LOC moderator. Bennett approached her thinking that, as a religious sister, “she must serve the poor,” he said. “It’s been a spiritual experience just being associated with her.”
The Humanitarian Service Room doesn’t directly serve the poor, but helps those who do.
“I get emotional when I think about how Sr. Germaine has given 52 years of her life to helping the poor,” said Bennett.
“They provide us with gently used books and homemade educational folder games for children,” said Sr. Germaine. “On Mother’s Day and at Christmas, they also give us about 80 large personal care baskets for mothers. They have even given us personal care baskets for men, and each year at Christmas they give us boxes of hand-made comforters, quilts, baby blankets, stocking caps, scarves and gloves.”
For more for information on this collaborative effort visit the Servicette Newsletter page on the LCUSA site.
Tags: children, collaboration, Daughters of Charity, LCUSA
