The Helping Hands program brings together members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and their neighbours to provide community service. These volunteers in their trademark yellow shirts help people whose lives have been affected by natural disasters and other emergencies. Helping Hands volunteers also partner with government and nonprofit organizations to support and improve the communities where they live.
The Helping Hands program reflects the desire of Latter-day Saints to follow the example of Jesus Christ by serving others. The effort receives resources from Church humanitarian services, and the projects are coordinated by local Church leaders.
The Helping Hands program was established in 1998, and since then hundreds of thousands of volunteers have donated millions of hours of service to their communities. The program started in South America but has since spread to nearly every corner of the world.
Volunteer Charles Adebayo of Nigeria summed up the feelings of many who participate in the Helping Hands program: “We find real happiness when we think outside of ourselves. That is true joy,” he said.
Some of the previous news releases that cover Mormon Helping Hands projects are listed below:
El Salvador: Mormon Helping Hands Clean River Banks (Spanish) (4/27/2014)
Germany: Mormon Helping Hands Clean (German) (4/8/2014)
Washington State-USA: Latter-day Saints Help After March Mudslide Covers Part of Town(3/22/2014)
Pacific: Dozens of Projects Draw Mormon Helping Hands (2/25/2014)
Mormon Volunteers Building Homes for Typhoon Haiyan Victims (2/21/2014)
Brazil: Latter-day Saints Clean Up After Heavy Rains (Portuguese) (1/9/2014)
Costa Rica: Latter-day Saints Organize a Recycling Campaign (Spanish) (1/4/2014)
Mormons in the Philippines Help Clean Up and Rebuild After 7.2 Earthquake (11/1/2013)
Mormons Donating 400,000 Trees to Haiti (5/3/2013)
Mormons Respond to Typhoon Pablo With Relief Supplies, Service (1/16/2013)
Mormons Continue Aid for Neighbors of Sandy Disaster Into New Year (12/27/2012)
Mormon Volunteers Give More Than 140,000 Hours of Service to Hurricane Sandy Victims(11/14/12)
(VIDEO) Filmmaker Shows Why Mormons Help Hurricane Sandy Victims (11/13/12)
New Round of Mormon Helping Hands Sandy Cleanup Projects Scheduled (11/7/12)
Mormon Helping Hands Cleanup After Sandy (11/4/12)
Church Issues Statement on Sandy: Local Mormons Stand Ready to Assist in Aftermath(10/30/12)
Northwest Area Day of Service Yields Dozens of Service Projects (10/4/12)
East Coast Mormon Helping Hands Work to Stop Hunger (10/3/12)
Mormon Helping Hands Busy in Africa (9/14/12)
Mormon Helping Hands Assist in Maryland Park Cleanup (Photo Essay) (5/23/2012)
Latter-day Saints in Brazil Participate in Volunteer Fair (1/22/2012)
Mormon Helping Hands Pitch in to Aid Neighbors in Tornado-Ravaged Southern U.S. (5/6/11)
Thousands of Mormon Volunteers Lend a Hand in California and Hawaii (5/3/2011)
Day of Service in South Florida (4/13/2011)
Mormons Step Out Across Multiple States to Clean Up Their Communities (9/21/2010)
“Mormon Helping Hands” Program — A Decade of Service (10/27/2008)
Mormon "Helping Hands" Clean Up After Hurricane Ike (9/19/2008)
What Moves Mormons During Emergencies (8/11/2008)
Mormons Aid Flood Victims in Indiana, Iowa and Wisconsin (6/17/2008)
New Zealanders Spruce Up Neighborhoods (3/12/2008)
Brazilian Senate Honors Church and Its Members (11/30/2007)
One Hundred Thousand Africans Find Joy in Continent-Wide "Mormon Helping Hands" Project (11/9/2007)
Countrywide Mormon Helping Hands Project Benefits Schools in Brazil (10/9/2007)
Florida Youth Service Project Example of Mormon Core Values (7/18/2007)
Mormons Work With Communities to Prepare for Hurricanes (7/5/2007)
60,000 Mormon Volunteers Help 300 Brazilian Hospitals (5/9/2007)
Latter-day Saints to Mobilize Another 4,000 Volunteers in Chainsaw Brigade's Second Wave (9/16/2005)
Joining Hands as Neighbors and Now Friends (9/13/2005)