Mormon Helping Hands

During Katrina, the California wildfires, and other recent emergencies, many news crews caught site of people in bright yellow teeshirts or vests with a distinctive hand logo. The shirts had the title Mormon Helping Hands on them and the wearers were hard at work cleaning up debris, removing mud from homes, and serving in whatever other ways were needed.

The Mormon Helping Hands program began ten years ago in Argentina, Paraguay, Uruguay and Chile, when church leaders there, under the direction of church headquarters, created a national day of service for Mormons in these countries. Members worked together to complete large projects that would improve the places they lived. They painted and repaired schools and hospitals, cleaned streets and parks, and did whatever else their neighborhoods most needed. The program then spread to Brazil, where, in 2007, the Brazilian government labeled it as one of the most important humanitarian programs in Brazil. The senate held a special session to honor the church for the work they were doing to improve Brazil.

The church did nothing more than to ask local leaders to begin the initial project. From that small beginning, church leaders in nearly every country have developed their own Helping Hands programs after learning about those pilot programs. It has become a grassroots effort by people who love to serve.

 In November, 2007, more than 100,000 Mormons in Africa worked on projects suggested by local government leaders to improve their towns. They cleared storm drains, painted hospitals, and planted flowers and trees in parks.

In March, 2008, Mormons went to work after a major flood damaged large portions of Brisbane, Australia. They filled a twelve ton truck with donated supplies and also purchased appliances and other large items. Members worked together to solicit from members, friends, and local businesses, and then to gather donations, and finally distributed them to those in need, regardless of faith. So much was donated they had to fill another four ton truck as well before beginning the fourteen hour drive into the flooded area. Members also participated in the clean-up work in the area.

“In 2007 the Church responded to major earthquakes in 5 countries, massive fires in 6 countries, hunger and famine in 18 countries, and flooding and severe storms in 34 countries. In total the Church and its members responded to 170 major events—nearly one every two days for the entire year. It was a busy year with many opportunities to serve,” reports church leader H. David Burton (And Who is My Neighbor, General Conference April 2008.

The Mormon Helping Hands program is not a “Mormons helping Mormons” program. Those participating go into the community to serve anyone who needs the help, regardless of their faith or their feelings about Mormons. The program is one of the ways the Mormons strive to follow in the footsteps of the Savior, Jesus Christ, who went into the world serving everyone, even those who did not believe He was the Savior. He served saints and sinners, people of all religions or none at all. In his parable of the good Samaritan, He made it clear we don’t help just those who are like ourselves. While caring for our own is important, it’s also important to go out in the world to serve others as well. The Mormon Helping Hands program is one example of the Mormon way of living life.