Every eight weeks or so, The Salem Oregon Stake of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints hosts a Red Cross Blood Drive. The next blood donation opportunity is coming up on April 24, 2025.

When people need blood, they really need it, and donors are an important part of maintaining the blood supply.

If you’ve never given blood—or haven’t done so for a while—the experience may not be what you imagine. For one thing, technology has streamlined the registration process; appointments can be scheduled on the website or on the Blood app as well as through our stake blood drive coordinator Sister Marge’ Cook. 

In addition, background and medication questions can be covered earlier on the day of the donation through a process (on the Red Cross Blood Donation website) called RapidPass.

When you arrive to give blood, check-in is quick (you need your Red Cross card or picture ID), and you should only have to wait a few minutes before the preliminary checks of blood pressure, temperature, and hemoglobin levels begin (they don’t even have to prick your finger anymore!)  After that, it’s just lie back and relax while your life-giving donation flows gently out of your arm.

Donating blood at the stake center includes the additional pleasure of meeting old friends and making new ones. According to Sister Cook: “At our last Blood Drive 26 donors were members from our Stake and 20 donors were from our community.”

If you are eligible, giving blood regularly is an easy and rewarding opportunity to serve and Sister Cook urges you to sign up early. As she says, “We are striving to grow our Stake Blood Drive and can only do that with your support and donations.”

On March 6, 2025, a donation of 2100 gallons of surplus milk, sent by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, was delivered to Marion Polk Food Share in Salem, Oregon.

Surplus food becomes available after Church farms and food processing facilities supply Bishop’s Storehouses, international needs, and disaster relief. When these obligations have been met, any extra (surplus) product remaining can be distributed to other areas of need.

In addition to the donation to Marion Polk Food Share, this milk truck delivered surplus from the Church Dairy to food banks in Eugene (2200 gallons) and Sweet Home (100 gallons).

Marion Polk Food Share is a member of the Oregon Food Bank Network, and since it distributes food to 71 local food banks and food pantries, these gallon jugs of milk from Salt Lake City will be appreciated by many households around the community.

This milk delivery is only the latest in a series of occasional large donations from Church food production facilities to local food banks. Every few months, depending on needs around the world, trucks bring dry goods, dairy products, meat, and other surplus food to Oregon.

The Church is committed to helping people in need everywhere, and the distribution of surplus food is one of many systems in place for feeding the hungry among Heavenly Father’s children near and far.

Each day in December—through Christmas—youth from the Salem Oregon Stake of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints documented their daily acts of service on social media through stories, photos, and short videos they produced and shared on stake instagram pages. These posts highlighted the responses of individual young people, family and friend groups, and ward youth organizations to the Light the World challenge: “Be Someone’a Angel.”

Inspired by Light the World’s “50 Ways to Let Your Light Shine” list and JustServe’s holiday catalog, young people recorded themselves performing quiet acts of love and care. From hugs and homework help in their families to collecting Christmas ornaments or purchasing toys for neighbors in need. From serving the local community through music, yard work, and food donations to spreading service to far away places through the Giving Machines or projects for victims of natural disasters. In their homes, schools, and neighborhoods, as well as at food banks and retirement centers, youth donated time, talents, and love this holiday season.

These young people set an inspiriting example to everyone of Christmas spirit and Christlike service. In their words: “Do something to uplift others.” (Olivia) “Even when they don’t suspect it.” (Addie) “Just a tiny, simple act can make an impact.” (Jackson)

Check out the Stake Youth Instgram Page!

Refugee families around Salem and Corvallis will experience an easier transition to their new homes because of restart kits prepared by Salem Stake youth at a January 20, 2025, service project honoring Martin Luther King Day.

At the event, organized and led by the Salem Stake Youth Committee, more than 150 young people gathered to assemble 300 restart kits—home cleaning kits, hygiene kits, and infant/toddler kits—to assist refugees with daily needs. Of the completed kits, 225 will be distributed by Salem for Refugees and 75 by Corvallis for Refugees.

Youth committee leaders (about 20 strong) arrived early, unloaded the truck, and set up stations of supplies. Along with personnel from Salem for Refugees, they manned the stations while attendees rotated through assembling kits—a system that allowed individual youth each to put together complete kits.

Most of the items for the kits were provided by the Church’s bishop’s storehouse; members of the stake donated pacifiers, baby dolls, and coloring books. In addition to the assembly stations, a “Welcome to Salem” card-making station was available.

After completing the kits, participants loaded all 300 of them into the truck to be taken back to the Salem for Refugees warehouse.

Expressing their gratitude, Laurel from Salem for Refugees said,”Just this week alone, our team is moving four different families into their new apartments. [They will} utilize all the items and [be] directly affected by your generosity. We’re incredibly grateful for this partnership.”

Madi, one of the youth participants, said about the activity, “Serving others doesn’t have to be difficult or over the top. All you need to do is find a need and work to solve it or provide help. It was fun working with others in our community and I know this will benefit families while also helping me draw closer to my Savior because He would do the same.”

Just in time for the holidays, Salem For Refugees has received a generous grant from The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. Earmarked for beds and bedding, the donation was facilitated by a cooperative effort of the Monmouth, Keizer, and Salem Stakes, and funds were supplied by the Church’s Humanitarian Fund.

Salem For Refugees had reported a growing need for mattresses, bed frames, and other bedding items for refugee families settling in the Salem area. The grant will enable the local support organization to devote its own funds to other refugee services rather than having to purchase these items.

In addition to the bedding grant, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, through humanitarian funding, also provided access to Salem For Refugees families for “Restart Kit” items. “Restart Kits” include the basic supplies people need to get started living in their homes, such as shampoo, soap, laundry detergent, diapers and baby wipes, deodorant, feminine hygiene products, and toilet paper. Moving into a home or apartment already stocked with these essentials makes the transition for refugees much easier since it means not having to go to the store immediately upon arrival.

If you are interested in becoming involved in service to our refugee neighbors, go to JustServe Salem for Refugees page at https://www.justserve.org/salemforrefugees1 where there are a variety of opportunities to choose from.

Matthew 25:35 “For I was an hungered, and ye gave me meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me in.”

On a sunny October afternoon, families from the Salem refugee community gathered at the stake center for “Refugee Friendsgiving,” welcomed by volunteers from the Salem Stake, from Salem For Refugees, and from the community, for an afternoon of food, fun, and culture-bridging conversation.

The Salem Oregon Stake of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, in partnership with Salem For Refugees, hosted a “Refugee Friendsgiving” event on Saturday, October 12, 2024. Lunch was served, followed by games and activities.

Lunch was headlined by a delicious array of soups, contributed by members of the stake and community and organized by the Stake Relief Society. Stake volunteers also prepared appetizers and provided set-up and clean-up.

Youth volunteers from the stake organized and directed a variety of harvest-themed children’s games, which were eagerly enjoyed by the children in attendance after they finished their lunch—and while parents and grandparents had time to greet acquaintances and make new friends.

Guests of all ages also enjoyed a few rounds of Picture Bingo, an activity that introduced many to this popular traditional American game. Projected pictures of autumn images eliminated any language barrier as participants filled their cards and filled the room with excitement and cries of “Bingo!”

Families in attendance represented several cultures and languages and included folks of all ages—even a three-month-old baby! Participants decorated a “Gratitude Tree” with descriptions of things they’re thankful for written on orange and yellow leaves. The autumn theme was continued through bright, festive-colored tablecloths and fall centerpieces.

Everyone—refugees, volunteers, faith leaders, and community members—who participated in various ways in this “Friendsgiving” afternoon were all enriched by the experience of joining together to share a meal and conversation. As the afternoon drew to a close, we understood just a bit better “who is my neighbor” and how much we have in common with one another.

This year, The Salem Oregon Stake of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints commemorated the 9/11 National Day of Service by participating in a number of service activities across the area. These projects included arranging and providing haircuts for unhoused members of our community, collecting and delivering meals to teachers and other school staff, and sprucing up a local park.

Back-to-School Haircuts

On August 29, 2024, a back-to-school haircut event, organized by the Salem Stake communications committee, took place at the Church @ the Park family facility. For the second year, hairdressers from Salem, Monmouth, and Keizer Stakes contributed their time, equipment, and skills to provide hair cutting and styling for residents—both children and adults—at the shelter. Participants were also given hairbrushes and other hair care products purchased by Salem Stake members—who responded to the email request for donations very promptly, filling the needed quota in just a few hours!

SKSD Community Cares Meals

For another 2024 Salem Stake Day of Service opportunity, we joined with more than forty other faith groups and community members as part of the United Way/Salem Leadership Foundation SKSD Community Cares Project to show support for area school teachers and staff by providing meals to show appreciation at the beginning of another school year.

About twenty-five stake members contributed breakfast items, such as bagels, yogurt, muffins, and fruit to breakfasts for the staff at local schools. Members of the stake also delivered these breakfasts—along with a card of appreciation to each school.

Recipients of the breakfasts expressed their gratitude for the meal and for the support; one staff member described the project and our contribution as “so generous!” And others mentioned how grateful they were for the way the community came together to help them.

Stayton Community Center Park

About fifty Salem Stake members, supported by City of Stayton staff, gathered at the Stayton Community Center Park on Saturday, September 7, to complete several projects. Crews of participants, who ranged in age from toddler on up, trimmed rhododendron bushes, repainted the entrance sign, pulled weeds around the roses, removed some shrubs, and spread bark mulch. The atmosphere was charged with cooperation and camaraderie as everybody pitched in and watched their efforts transform and beautify the park.

Turner Elementary School Staff Meal

On September 11, Salem Stake members provided and delivered breakfast items to Turner Elementary School staff. Nine members participated and the staff expressed warm appreciation for the care and concern.

Salem Stake Members Continue to Serve

These organized service projects gave families and individuals in the Salem Oregon Stake a variety of opportunities to serve in our community and to coordinate with other community groups. For Salem Stake members, service and cooperation are not limited to a few weeks in September. Through JustServe.org, members can make a difference in the community—as individuals or with family, youth, ward, or stake groups—-while building relationships with members of other service- and faith-based organizations. “When ye are in the service of your fellow beings ye are only in the service of your God.” (Mosiah 2:17)

On June 18, around eighty Salem Oregon Stake children, youth, and adults welcomed the beginning of summer vacation with a JustServe Summer Kick-off event at Woodmansee Park in south Salem.

Bringing their rakes, shovels, and wheelbarrows, participants worked together to spread bark mulch on dirt trails near the playground. Along with helping on the trail restoration project, children colored Thank-You cards for the use of Liberty House and Welcome cards for refugees.

The weather was perfect for a morning in the park and willing workers accomplished a great deal during the two-hour project. Parents and grandparents shoveled mulch alongside their children and grandchildren, youth and older children drove wheelbarrows, and even the smallest worker could help spread the bark mulch on the trails. One of the children, Hayden, declared,”I like the shovel better than the rake.” Kennedy enjoyed finding centipedes in the mulch, and Halle described “making the trails smooth and flat.”

As part of this day of service, more than a dozen used bicycles were contributed and summer toys were collected. The bicycles were given to Northwest Bike Hub which repairs and donates bikes to those in need in the community, and the toys went to the Church @ the Park facility for families experiencing homelessness.

To help families, children, and individuals find more ways to serve, handouts with QR codes linking to JustServe service opportunities were distributed (along with popsicles) at the conclusion of the activity.

For opportunities to serve with your family this summer, go to JustServe.org and find a project that works for you.

Here are a few possibilities from those shared at the event:

Since the summer of 2023, members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints in Salem, Oregon, have each Sunday shared food, conversation, and acceptance with residents of the Church @ the Park young adult community. 

These meals have both relieved hunger and helped restore dignity for some of Heavenly Father’s children who are experiencing homelessness—and they have inspired and uplifted ward members as they’ve followed the Savior’s example to love, listen, and connect. 

“Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me.” (Matt 25:40).

This thriving program provides a hot meal every Sunday afternoon for young people ages 18 to 24 at their place of refuge and shelter. In addition, since ward volunteers are invited to stay and share the meal with residents and staff, the experience provides a setting for building relationships and connections through shared stories and activities. Having this opportunity to collaborate with other Salem faith groups helps build bridges between local leaders and members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints and our neighbors in the community as well.

The assignments, facilitated by the Salem Stake Communications Leadership and Ward Leads, rotate weekly among eighteen Salem wards from the Salem Stake, the Monmouth Stake, and the Keizer Stake. Ward Leads select a menu and arrange for ward members to donate and deliver food to the facility. Beyond preparing food and setting up for the meal, volunteers being able to stay to eat and interact enriches the experience for everyone. One Salem Stake member describes it as, “Being there for people who need it. Being there to love and to listen as the Savior would if He was there.”

To participate, sign up when it is your ward’s turn! Each ward receives the assignment only four times a year and although space is limited, it is hoped that everyone who wants to join in is able to do so—as often as they wish. Once you have signed up, you will receive information about specific expectations and guidelines.

Stake members have described their experiences at Church @ the Park as eye-opening and heart-warming. Laura Greaves relates an experience she had with a young resident who was confused about what identification she would need for a job. “From ten minutes of conversation—and because we had developed a trusting relationship—I could reassure her and help her with something she was really worried about,” Sister Greaves reports.

Sarrah Taylor has attended several times, “It’s cool to see the residents move on as they get jobs and housing,” she says.

Pringle Ward Lead Pam Decker says, “Sharing a meal and getting to know some of the young adults at Church @ the Park youth shelter was a wonderful, spiritual experience.”

Church @ the Park assists people experiencing homelessness through a variety of projects, including managed camping, safe parking, and emergency sheltering. Along with housing and food, the young adult residents are able to access education support, life-skills and job training, as well as counseling and other services.

Our shared Sunday meals program isn’t the only way to serve at Church @ the Park. To find out about other opportunities, go to their website at church-at-the-park.org and look at their “Volunteers” tab. Or check out JustServe.org to see Church @ the Park listings there.

In the Gospel of Luke, Chapter 14, the Savior says “when thou makest a supper, call not thy friends, nor thy brethren, neither thy kinsmen, nor thy rich neighbors. . .When thou makest a feast, call the poor, the maimed, the lame, the blind: and thou shalt be blessed.”

Serving all of God’s children—whatever their life experiences—will not only bring succor to them, it will also bring us closer to Jesus Christ, as we shape our lives around His.