Article Contributed on: 12/15/2008 6:53:02 AM
Hundreds of families in Jefferson County will benefit from a recent donation made by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (the Mormons) to Jeffco Action Center. The food bank was presented with 225 cases of canned peaches and apricots (about 3 tons of fruit) that will help to fill the increasing number of requests for assistance this holiday season.
Cathy Hatfield, Director of Operations for Jeffco Action Center, was on hand
Dec. 10th to accept the donation from Brent Barlow, President of the Golden Stake and Lynn Jefferies of the Lakewood Stake of the Church. President Barlow and his assistants, Jerry Hendrix and Vick Hubbard unloaded the cases of fruit at the Center's 14th Avenue facility. "We serve an average of 120 families a day," Cathy Hatfield said, "and this donation will help us for more than a month."
The donation was made possible by two orchards in northern and southern Utah that had bumper harvests in August and September. The volunteer nature of this project is underscored by the fact that over a million pounds of fruit was grown, picked, canned packed, and delivered by volunteers. Loaded onto 18 semi-trucks, the canned fruit was delivered to food pantries and Church storehouses in Colorado, Georgia, illinois, Texas, Washington. Florida and Pennsylvania.
Jeffco Action Center was one of many agencies in the Denver metro area that received donations of peaches and apricots. In total, 2,800 cases of fruit were distributed in the Denver area. JAC with its 30 staff members and 1,500 yearly volunteers is a tremendous, 'can-do' asset to our community. Several items they are particularly in need of this season are blankets and personal care items.