Members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints have been raking, weeding, painting, cleaning, donating food and helping communities in other ways across New Zealand this month.
The community service was inspired by an invitation from the Pacific Area Presidency of the Church to identify a need, make a plan, and invite others to "come and help."
Latter-day Saints in Dunedin hosted the local interfaith community during World Harmony Week.
Volunteers in Upper Hutt cleaned a public walkway, donated food to a local food pantry, and held a community swap meet in a church parking lot.
Everything was given away or could be swapped. The Church provided drinks and a sausage sizzle.
Members of the Church in Porirua and Christchurch donated blood.
Members and missionaries helped Guru Nanak's Free Kitchen feed the hungry and homeless in Wellington City.
Missionaries serving in Wellington helped host and look after kaumatua (older people) at Porirua's Waitangi Day Festival.
They also helped at a community garden; cleaned yards; and supported local community groups.
A Napier Latter-day Saint woman sews twice each week for Red Cross, and missionaries volunteer weekly at the Red Cross shop.
In close-by Hastings, Latter-day Saints also help local Red Cross efforts such as Meals on Wheels.
Church members collect used crockery and cutlery from the dementia unit at the hospital each day, clean them, and then return them to the hospital.
Hastings Latter-day Saints are planning to collect for the Red Cross appeal in March.
