Little Hands, Big Impact: Calgary Primary Children Serve Local Youth in Need 

Children in the Calgary Alberta Stake of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints gathered on June 28, 2025, with one simple purpose: to help other children living in the community. Participants decorated hygiene kits and filled backpacks with school supplies. The kits and backpacks were then donated to Hull Services (HS), a local organization that supports children, youth and families with mental health challenges and other barriers.

Local Church leaders organized the humanitarian effort, and the Church's Humanitarian Services donated 480 hygiene kits and 504 sets of school supplies. Additionally, local Church members donated 75 new backpacks. The volunteer children decorated the hygiene kits with encouraging messages and stickers. They also placed a personal note in each backpack and filled it with one of the donated sets of school supplies.

According to Sheldon Smith, communication specialist with HS, donations like these go a long way in helping the children at HS feel supported and cared for. “A lot of the kids we work with often show up at Hull with little or no belongings,” said Smith. “Donations such as backpacks and hygiene kits help them out so much and provide many of those items we often take for granted. We are continually grateful for the support of community members such as The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.”

Genevieve Smith, 11, was among the young volunteers. Summing up the spirit of the day, she said, “It makes me feel like I’m doing something Jesus Christ would do.”

“We want our children to care deeply — not only for those within our faith but for others in our community who are facing real difficulties,” said Eva Gonzalez, the Calgary Alberta Stake Primary president. “Hull Services cares for some of Calgary’s most vulnerable children. They can use our support, even if it’s in a small way.”

Sheldon Smith described the purpose of HS: “As an organization focused on supporting the mental health of children, youth and families in our community since 1962, we partner with those young people and their families to help build their resilience and well-being.” In 2024, HS assisted over 8,000 youth and their families through 28 programs and services, including education, low-income supports, residential programs and foster care.

Globally, Humanitarian Services supported nearly 4,000 humanitarian projects in 2024, with many focusing on the well-being of women and children. The organization operates on the principles of self-reliance, sustainability and volunteerism. Notably, 100 per cent of donations go directly to humanitarian efforts, as the Church covers all administrative costs (see “Humanitarian Services”).

Gonzalez added, “We wanted to help the children strengthen a service-oriented heart.” For the Calgary children volunteers, the event was more than a service project — it was a lesson in empathy, a celebration of community and a powerful example of children helping children.

Read the Article in French