MEXICO CITY-Mexican members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and Latter-day Saint Charities, the Salt Lake City-based faith’s humanitarian arm, assisted in helping their countrymen during the covid-19 pandemic.

Mexican Church members, as part of the #ConstruyendoPuentes (#Buildingbridges) movement, donated more than 7 million Mexican pesos ($320,005.85 in U.S. currency) to purchase 38,500 boxes of food storage.

These resources are to be distributed to food pantries throughout Mexico.

Also assisting in this endeavor was Caritas Mexicana, a Mexico-City based Catholic relief, development and social service organization.

This charitable organization works with Catholic dioceses and archdioceses in 79 cities, serving low-income families regardless of religious affiliation.

Items to be packaged and purchased for distribution by Caritas Mexicana include rice, beans, salt, cooking oil, sugar, soup, cornstarch, tuna, wheat and hygiene kits.

The Church’s first donation of food storage boxes went to the Archdiocese of Tlalnepantla’s food pantry with Elder Helaman Montejo, an Area Seventy and Area Representative of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints assisting in the process.

The Church has a strong impact in Mexico as 1.17 percent of the national population (1 in 86) belongs to the faith.

There are 1,481,530 Latter-day Saints in Mexico in 222 stakes. There are 32 missions in Mexico, 278 family history centers and 13 temples presently.