If you browse the website for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, http://www.churchofjesuschrist.org, you’ll find details about the church’s emphasis on and approach to serving others. If you look a little deeper, you’ll even find some statistics about what the church has done on a global scale.
But if you talk to local leaders who have boots on the ground in the Huntington area, you’ll learn that it’s not the stats but rather the relationships and trying to be like Jesus that really matter. That has been a driving force in helping both Project Hope for Women and Children and ProAct, programs under the Marshall Health Network Foundation’s umbrella. Both provide various forms of assistance to those in some stage of addiction recovery.
“As Christians and members of the Latter-Day Saints, we believe the two greatest commandments are to love God and love our neighbor, so we provide and serve as much as we can,” said Stake President of the Huntington WV Stake of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, Jamie Wolfe. “Once a month, we fast for a day and go without two meals. We ask that the money that would be spent on meals go to the church. Those funds help us provide humanitarian aid.”
Recently, the church provided the funds needed to purchase a van that is being used for transportation for both ProAct and Project Hope. In addition, the Huntington Stake’s Relief Society (women’s group), led by President Beth Hannah, has been providing special help to the women and children at Project Hope. Notably, they purchase a Christmas tree and all the appropriate decorations for each woman’s apartment.
Hannah said they were so moved by the response after the first Christmas that they had to continue.
“The cause (addiction recovery) is a very big need in our area,” Hannah said. “I’m a schoolteacher, and I see how drugs affect kids. Parents are on and off drugs, in and out of jail. It’s a roller coaster for the kids. We saw their success rate at Project Hope and wanted to help. The ladies love it. We do all theme trees. The first time we had 17 trees, and none of them were the same. We just get to watch and serve with love, and it’s been the greatest Christmas present I’ve ever gotten.”
Themes vary. Some include The Grinch, angels, candy, Elf on the Shelf, and more. The church ladies also provide towels, door hangers, and additional matching décor to really make a special holiday. They’ve also been a part of a Mother’s Day brunch and provided additional special treats for each woman.
“My heart is so full planning it,” Hannah said. “I hope we continue to get the opportunity to do it again. We don’t usually get to go into that (recovery) bubble, but oh my gosh, we had people who said they prayed for their person. It’s just so wonderful.”
Wolfe said they often help in areas of food insecurity but have connected with Marshall Health Network Foundations to help with a couple projects. Like Hannah, he noted the region’s issues with opioids and the need to help folks get back on their feet as a key driver of this collaboration. Partnering with established groups that have already been successful makes it a no-brainer to continue looking for ways to help.
“We feel good about it,” he said. “Nice things come out of financial assistance, but it’s more important to establish those relationships like our ladies have done working and helping with Project Hope. We’re just really excited about that.”
Both Wolfe and Hannah encourage others, regardless of their religious beliefs, to look for ways to love their neighbor and help in their community. If you don’t know where to begin, Wolfe said the website, http://www.justserve.org is a great place to get ideas and connect.
“Everybody needs to experience something like what we’ve experienced once in life,” Hannah said. “I hope they remember that they are loved by more than the people at Hope’s Place. People love them and accept them just as they are. They welcomed us with open arms and trusted us to come in and help. I get more out of it than they do. It fills my cup.”
