LDS Youth Fill 271 Holiday Food Packages for Needy

Following a , South County Outreach asked youth from the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints to return and help the nonprofit with a holiday project for Orange County's less fortunate residents.

On a recent Tuesday night this month, 97 members of the Mormon church converged on the SCO food pantry in Lake Forest to package 271 holiday food bags for the needy.

Volunteer packed the holiday bags with turkeys donated by Mission Hospitalstuffing mix, yams or potatoes, cranberries, vegetables, and ingredients to make pumpkin pie—a variety of foods with which families can compile a holiday meal to eat together.

Initially, the LDS youth leaders had concerns that that the facility couldn’t handle so many volunteers, but SCO Director of Operations Nora Dopudja ensured each youth had a task. Among the flurry of activity, some carried heavy boxes out of the warehouse, others collecting food from the shelves, many bagged food into paper grocery bags and group leaders gave directions to ensure all the bags were filled efficiently. 

After the 271 bags were complete, SCO's Dopudja climbed on a tall rolling ladder and told her own story of the satisfaction she gets from making a difference in people’s lives.

She explained that the working poor struggle in South Orange County because of expensive rent and said that 1 out of 6 children in Orange County go to bed hungry.

Cindy LeSueur, an LDS young women activities specialist, said, “I knew that the event was a success when Jordan Gold, one of our LDS youth, gave the closing prayer and said, ‘Please bless those less fortunate and thank you so much that we never go to bed hungry.’ I knew at that moment–they got it. “

For more information about the Lake Forest food pantry or SCO, visit sco-oc.org.