STATESBORO, Ga — In a heartwarming act of generosity, the Statesboro Food Bank has received a substantial donation of over 30,000 pounds of canned goods courtesy of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

This impressive delivery, totaling 36,000 pounds, arrived on Friday after braving a challenging journey from Salt Lake City, Utah, which included navigating through two ice storms. The significant contribution was made possible by the concerted efforts of local church members who successfully advocated for the food bank’s inclusion in a national initiative.

Mitch Brannen, serving as the second councilor in the Savannah Stake Presidency of the church, explained, “This donation is part of the ‘Light the World’ campaign, a global initiative aimed at encouraging people to remember Christ, our Lord and Savior, while also providing an opportunity to support those in need during the Christmas season.”

While the donation is substantial, food bank officials noted that the supplies might not stretch as far as expected, given the ongoing demand in the community.

Despite the large amount of food donated, it may not last as long as one would think.

“Well, actually, we got in about 50,000 pounds of food last week for Thanksgiving” said Statesboro Food Bank Executive Director Sheila Stewart-Leach. “It sounds like an extraordinary amount of food, but it will probably last us maybe two weeks.” 

Local church members came to the bank Friday to help volunteer and unload the donations. Members said this wasn’t the first time donations from the church have come to Statesboro.

“This is actually the second semi-trailer load that has come here,” said Lane Van Tassell. “The first one occurred when BYU played Georgia Southern in football, and they brought a truck of food for the food bank at that time as well. We’re much better prepared now, a much better facility and doing much better work at the food bank.”

Van Tassell also serves on the board for the Statesboro Food Bank.

The food bank is still seeing a higher-than-normal demand following the longest government shutdown in our nation’s history.

Data provided by the food bank said the organization was serving 500 families a week on average but “since early November,” it is now helping an average of 950 families a week.

Those interested in donating or volunteering can find more information here.