The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (the Mormon Church) is encouraging people worldwide to “Light the World” by engaging in acts of service this holiday season. This is part of a series of articles we are publishing to highlight local organizations in Colorado that help make the season brighter.

Since 1978, the Food Bank of the Rockies has been helping feed the hungry in Colorado and Wyoming by efficiently procuring and distributing food and essentials through their programs and partner agencies. Over the years, the Food Bank of the Rockies has developed 681 partner agency relationships in Northern Colorado, including Metro Denver, and the entire state of Wyoming, to distribute food to people in need at all stages of life. Everyday, through its partner agencies, the Food Bank of the Rockies serves more than 134, 000 meals, which totals nearly 49 million meals a year. (more…)

In an initiative called “Light the World,” The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (the LDS Church) is encouraging people around the globe to perform acts of service this holiday season. This article is the fourth in a continuing series highlighting local Colorado organizations that are doing their part to “Light the World.” The Volunteers of America (VOA), a JustServe partner, has been around for 121 years, lightens the holiday season for others, and does so year-round.

With so many years and varied avenues of service, where does one begin with the VOA? Let’s look at their programs specific to the holidays.

Basket of Joy

Through the Basket of Joy program, volunteers sign up to deliver fruit baskets to the homebound elderly. This annual tradition is one that many seniors anticipate for months in advance. There are also opportunities to assemble baskets, handle registration and help with traffic management. This year’s goal is to deliver 5,280 baskets in the Denver area next Saturday, December 9th. (more…)

To help light the world with Christ’s love, we feature Lutheran Family Services of Colorado, a local organization that focuses on following the compassionate love of Christ to serve the vulnerable, through services that heal, strengthen, and provide hope. Through JustServe, the LDS Church’s humanitarian outreach in local communities, the LDS Church has worked closely with Lutheran Family Services for many years to assist vulnerable populations in Colorado.

While originally founded back in 1948 to provide adoptive placement for babies, Lutheran Family Services (LFS) now offers birth parent counseling, foster care, aging services, international adoptions, services to refugees, aid following disasters, and parent education. LFS has become one of the largest private foster care providers in Colorado and the largest refugee resettlement agency in the Rocky Mountain region. Every year, LFS responds to the critical social and emotional needs of approximately 30,000 people. (more…)

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (the Mormon Church) is encouraging people worldwide to “Light the World” this holiday season by engaging in acts of service. This article about service opportunities with Catholic Charities of Denver is the second in a series that the LDS Church is publishing to highlight local organizations in Colorado that help make the season brighter.

Catholic Charities is the charitable arm of the Archdiocese of Denver. Since 1927, Catholic Charities of Denver has been serving and uplifting Coloradoans in need. The organization reaches tens of thousands of people each year via different core missions that are focused on early childhood education, Marisol Services for Women, shelter, housing, counseling, family, kinship, senior services, and much more. (more…)