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Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints delivers 40,000 pounds of food to Spokane Salvation Army

Gabriel Herd, left, and Matthew Dettinger, right, stock shelves Tuesday with peanut butter from the truckload of donated food by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints at the Salvation Army headquarters on Indiana Avenue. In the background are Spencer Washburn and Nathan Ross, other young Mormon missionaries who pitched in to stock the shelves. The pantry had food available, so most of the food went onto shelves in the warehouse. (Jesse Tinsley/THE SPOKESMAN-REVIEW)
By Amanda Sullender amandas@spokesman.com(509) 459-5455

More than 40,000 pounds of food were delivered Tuesday morning to the Spokane Salvation Army by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

The delivery from the church’s Salt Lake City headquarters will provide meals to between 800 and 1,000 Spokane families, according to the Salvation Army.

“We’re seeing more and more families seeking assistance, and so we are excited for this truckload of food to put food on hard-working families’ tables,” Salvation Army captain David Cain said.

The church dropped off 72 cases of spaghetti, 68 cases of cream of mushroom soup, another 68 cases of pork and beans, and much more, according to a news release.

Donations at the Salvation Army have been a challenge this year, he added. A call for help was put out to the Latter-day Saints church, which has previously been known as the Mormon Church.

Spokane Latter-day Saints Mission President Todd Kerr said the church is trying to be a good local citizen for the Spokane area.

“We think the world of Salvation Army. They do such a great job returning to the community, and we’re super excited to be here today to help with this offloading and process and to support their efforts to provide to the needs of those who really need some help,” Kerr said.

The donation “comes at a crucial time,” since families may have to choose between heating their homes during the recent cold snap and buying food, the news release said.

Once the truck from Salt Lake City arrived, approximately a dozen LDS missionaries stationed in Spokane unloaded the dry and canned food.

They were joined by Dave Crosby and his three children to unload the truck.

The family belongs to the local church and runs the popular family vlogging and music YouTube channel “The Crosbys.”

“It is super important to teach your kids to perform service whenever you can. We want to help be representatives and promote all the goodness that the church is trying to do in the area,” Dave Crosby said.

Leaders of the two Christian groups said interfaith cooperation in helping those in need was essential.

“We’re all God’s children. Right? It’s like the basics of survival – just being fed so you can meet your other needs. It’s very important to us to feed the needy and the poor,” Latter-day Saints spokesperson Kata Dean said.