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SALT LAKE CITY — The American Red Cross of Utah and the Salt Lake Calvary Baptist Church are teaming up to combat hunger.
On Friday, the Red Cross delivered around $4,000 worth of groceries and nonperishable items to the church's food pantry.
"We're a community-oriented church, and helping people in need is our calling for such a time as this," said Rev. Dr. Oscar Moses, the pastor of the Calvary Baptist Church.
"We were aware of a need here with their food pantry, and we wanted to support in any way we can because they do such great work for the community," said Jeremiah Lafranca, the executive director of the American Red Cross Salt Lake Chapter.
One in 10 Utah households experiences food insecurity, and 1 in 6 Utah children face hunger.
"One of the biggest needs is things like meat and other different types of protein, so people have those kind of nutritional needs met, and a lot of these food pantries don't get that. So, we're grateful that we're able to help today and encourage the local community to get out and help your local food pantry," Lafranca said.
The Red Cross of Utah also works with the Calvary Baptist Church to provide health-related education and hold blood drives to help those with diseases like sickle cell disease, which affects many African Americans.
"I believe that partnerships like this help us establish a network of people with different gifts and different resources that we can be better equipped to serve humanity," Rev. Moses said.
The Calvary Baptist Church's food pantry is open every Saturday from 10 a.m. until noon, weather permitting. For more information, visit their website.
If you're interested in volunteering with the Red Cross, visit redcross.org.
