BYU Women’s Conference service projects bless those in need

During the 2024 BYU Women’s Conference, women worked side by side on multiple service projects during the annual Evening of Service on Thursday, May 2.

From packaging food for those in need, to sewing Christmas stockings and teddy bears, to tying fleece blankets, women cheerfully skipped classes and missed meals to keep working to help those in need.

Lorelie Sander, a program administrator with BYU Women’s Conference who oversaw the Evening of Service, said she was inspired by the thousands of women who participated in the service event.

“A tremendous amount of good is accomplished when we work together and give just a little bit of our time,” Sander said.

While projects such as these meet temporal needs, many emotional and spiritual needs are also met as volunteers care for those in need.

“When we minister to others and serve in Christlike ways, we help others feel the love Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ have for them, and through serving, we also feel the great love They have for us,” she said.

In total, the attendees made:

• 676 caterpillar sensory toys
• 2,430 bookmarks
• 227 Christmas stockings
• 712 infant fleece blankets
• 255 teddy bears
• 335,496 meal kits

The items will be donated to local agencies, who will distribute them to members of the community in need. The meal kits project was funded by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and assembled in partnership with Hunger Fight.

From the volunteer teams who prepare and oversee the projects to the attendees who serve, and from BYU staff and student employees who assist with setup and cleanup to the recipients of project donations, each individual who touches these projects in any way is touched in return, Sander explained.

“President Russell M. Nelson said [in April 2021 general conference], ‘Each precious child of God needs to know that he or she is not alone.’

“In the communities in which we live, we are surrounded by children of God who feel alone, discouraged, hopeless or forgotten,” Sander said. “We hope that in a small way the meals, blankets, toys and other items we provide send a clear message to every individual that they are seen, their needs are known, they are loved and there are better days ahead.”

See photos from the service below.