Helping Hands for Typhoon Survivors

Typhoon Yolanda's devastation brought about two kinds of convergence-people wanting to get out of Tacloban, and people wanting to get in to extend humanitarian aid and services not only in Tacloban but to many areas affected.

Volunteers on the ground and behind the scenes painstakingly transporting and repacking relief goods, worked round the clock with one objective in mind-provide relief as quickly as possible.

LDS Charities, the social arm of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, rallied Mormon Helping Hands volunteers to help repack relief goods.  Employees from the Area Welfare Department and humanitarian project specialists immediately set things in motion like a well-oiled machinery from assessment to procurement to repacking to distribution.

Partner organizations like the Philippine Marines, Alagang Kapatid Foundation and GMA Kapuso Foundation made sure the goods were properly delivered and distributed to the beneficiaries and areas identified.

The Church released an amount of Php 40 million pesos for relief efforts for Central Visayas.  Repacking and distribution of food, hygiene, cooking and sleeping kits are ongoing until this time.  Tent kits have also been ordered for distribution to areas wchich would need it most.  Clothing items have also been shipped to Tacloban.  

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints provides relief and development projects for humanitarian purposes in countries all over the world. Projects operate without regard to the nationality or religion of the recipients.

Jairus Perez, manager for Humanitarian Services said, “Providing relief is a tremendous task but the thought of being able to help and give hope to our Heavenly Father’s children is an honor and privilege.”

LDS Charities and Mormon Helping Hands: Service in Pictures

Cebu 

Sister-Stake (Sister-Diocese) efforts were well coordinated in the 5 stakes of Cebu.  Ten thousand food, hygiene, cooking and  sleeping kits as well as sets of slippers were repacked for distribution.  The partnership consisted of the following: Cebu City repacked goods for Tacloban; Mandaue for Borongan, Cebu Central for Carigara; Talisay for Tolosa; and Consolacion and Liloan for  Ormoc. The goods were turned over to GMA Kapuso Foundation for transport and distribution.  Stake teams also helped distribute goods in hard to reach areas.  5 KVA generator sets were  distributed to Carigara, Tacloban, Tolosa, Borongan and Biliran. 

Click Video: LDS Church Continues Relief Efforts in the Philippines by Jesse Hyde 

The Cebu Temple Complex was staging point 1 for the repacking of relief goods for Central Visayas.

Mormon Helping Hands in action.

Relief goods for Borongan, Samar.

Mandaue Stake team leader, Delia Cespon, (lady third from left), brings relief goods to Borongan. 

Tacloban / Ormoc

 A day after Yolanda made landfall, Tacloban missionaries were at the DSWD warehouse repacking rice and goods, and helping distribute the goods.

Mormon Helping Hands missionaries together with Secretary Corazon “Dinky” Soliman of the DSWD (Sec. Soliman is in red, second row, third from right).

IloIlo

Priesthood leaders in Iloilo Stake (diocese) organized the repacking of 7,000 food kits and 7,000 hygiene kits. Work began Thursday, 8 am, and continued through Friday until completion.  Several kits including bottled waters were loaded into 8 trucks.  Goods were transported by personnel from the Radio Mindanao Network (RMN) and iFM 95.1 Iloilo.  Areas reached were New Washington Kalibo, Batan and Altavas Kalibo, Roxas City, Capiz, Passi City and Island Barangays of Northern Iloilo which includes Ajuy, Concepcion, Estancia and Carles.

Mormon Helping Hands volunteers work round the clock to load kits for distribution in the neighboring islands.

Volunteers and missionaries pass bundles of blankets from one to the other for repacking at the cultural hall.

Elder Larry Echo Hawk oversees Church relief efforts in Iloilo.

One of the destinations of the repacked goods.

Military personnel, students and volunteers from other NGO groups help repack goods.

Part of Kalibo proper going to Ibajay.

A total of 1,500 volunteers repacked 10,000 food kits and 10,000 hygiene kits at Comembo and Quirino Chapels.  The goods were picked up by Alagang Kapatid Foundation and the Philippine Navy.  Additional clothing items and bottled water were also donated by volunteers which were distributed to different parts of Leyte.

Kids help repack hygiene kits.

Youth prepare bags for the kits.

Food and hygiene kits were placed in sacks for easy pick up and transport.

Primitivo Tagalog (in yellow vest) just heard that his wife and 2 children are safe in Leyte. He came early to pack rice before going to his construction job. He waited and prayed for 3 days before he heard from them. “I was talking to them on the mobile phone when the roof flew off the house,” he reported. He wiped tears from his eyes as he reported his family spent 3 days under a table with the house collapsed on top of them. “They were cold and wet until a neighbor dug them out.” He has another son attending school in Samar whom he didn’t hear from until 5 days after the disaster. “I only got a short text,” he said with a little smile, “but he is well.”

Two truckloads of relief goods with the men and women of the 7MBde cross over to Baco, Oriental Mindoro to bring much needed relief goods and hygiene kits to 1,000 residents in 3 sites in Baco, also under a state of calamity due to Typhoon Yolanda. AKFI 7th Marine Brigade and The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints are also partners in the distribution of goods  in Coron, Palawan.

Cagayan de Oro

More than 400 Mormon Helping Hands Volunteers from Cagayan de Oro and their friends helped DSWD Field Office 10 repack goods for Yolanda survivors. For two days, volunteers were able to repack 2,840 family food packs which were then shipped to the Visayas.  The 2-day repacking activity was held at the meetinghouse in Ramon Chaves Street, Cagayan de Oro City.  18 big plastic bags and 5 sacks of second hand clothing were also gathered in Iponan Meetinghouse and donated to  ABS-CBN.

Volunteers help repack clothing items.

CDO Mormon Helping Hands in action.

Volunteers help DSWD repack food kits.

The Helping Hands program reflects the desire of Church members to follow the example of Jesus Christ by serving others. The effort receives resources from Church humanitarian services, and the projects are coordinated by local Church leaders.