Mormon Chapels Used as Food Kitchens in Indonesia

YOGYAKARTA, Indonesia — Within hours after the 6.2 magnitude earthquake hit Indonesia last Saturday, 27 May, where more than 5,500 people died and thousands were left injured and homeless, members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints turned a local chapel in Solo into a food kitchen. By Sunday night, the food kitchen was relocated to a chapel in Yogyakarta, the city that suffered most of the destruction.

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Church humanitarian emergency response director, Garry Flake, meets with Mokhtar Shawky of Islamic Relief Worldwide shortly before shipment of Church supplies to Indonesia.

Immediately following the earthquake, local Church leaders assessed the critical needs of the survivors and determined that food was urgently needed. Members then arrived at the first food kitchen location and began preparing meals.

Volunteers spent all of Saturday night preparing food. By Sunday morning 1,500 meals were ready for delivery. Since then, approximately 2,000 meals have been prepared each day for delivery.

Many of the members helping in the food kitchen are the same members who volunteered in relief efforts after the Merapi volcano eruption last week.

Humanitarian relief supplies provided by the Church and transported by Islamic Relief Worldwide arrive in Indonesia.

A local Church leader in Surakarta expressed his amazement at how quickly the Church was able to provide food for “the starving people in the streets.”

Several community food kitchens were unable to operate as they had no food. The Church provided two trucks filled will rice, cooking oil, sugar and vegetables for those food kitchens in need.

Members of the Church in Indonesia prepared 2,000 meals each day which were distributed to victims of the Indonesia earthquake.

In addition to providing food, the Church immediately supplied hospitals with cots, blankets, mattresses and refrigerators. A 747 filled with eight semi-truckloads of relief supplies from the Church arrived in Indonesia yesterday.

The Los Angeles Daily News reported  that donations to various agencies for Indonesia earthquake relief have been minimal due to “donor fatigue.” However, the newspaper stated that The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints was receiving “steady donations from Church members.”

Coal stoves were lined up in Church parking lots to allow members to cook rice, vegetables, fish and eggs which were then packed into meals to be delivered to victims of the Indonesia earthquake.

The Church, thanks to continual donations of money, food, medical supplies and relief items from its members, was able to answer requests by the Indonesian government for emergency aid. With Islamic Relief Worldwide providing the necessary transportation, the Church sent $1.6 million worth of emergency supplies to devastated areas.

While supplies were being prepared in the United States for shipment, members of the Church in Indonesia began assisting in their local communities. They prepared thousands of meals and assembled hygiene kits. Church leaders in the area also purchased cots, mattresses and blankets for a local hospital where hundreds came for medical attention.

Members of the Church came from as far as Bali to work in the food kitchens set up in Church chapels.
One hundred percent of donations for emergency relief received by the Church go toward relief efforts. The Church does not use donations for administrative costs.

The Burbank-based Islamic Relief Center teamed up with the Church in this effort.

"We've found it's a great working relationship, using Mormon resources and the Muslim organization's ability to do such a great job of distributing [relief supplies] in these countries," said Garry Flake, director of humanitarian emergency response for the Latter-day Saints.

Food was purchased by Church leaders immediately following the earthquake. Food items were then prepared into meals and delivered to victims of the Indonesia earthquake.

The two organizations have worked together in emergency outreach in Sudan, Pakistan, Kenya, Ethiopia and in New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina.