LDS Church donates 36,000 lbs. of food to FeedMore WNY
FeedMore WNY received a 36,000-pound donation of food and other items on Thursday, Sept. 10, 2026, from the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints as part of the church’s celebration of America’s 250th anniversary.
Mark Collett, First Counselor for the Buffalo Stake Presidency of the LDS church, said the donation was just one of 250 donations made to food banks across the United States.
“The church wanted to celebrate the giving nature of our nation and of course FeedMore is a big part of that, Collett said.
Collett said many food items donated to FeedMore WNY were produced by the Church’s partner organizations. Efforts started in November 2025 to gather and coordinate donations across the country, and Collett said he learned Buffalo would receive one of those donations in March 2026.
“It’s exciting, Collett said. “Buffalo has such a history of generosity and neighborliness, and there’s so many who volunteer their time and means to help their neighbors.”
He said the church enjoys collaborating with on-the-ground organizations including FeedMore WNY to better take advantage of their existing partnerships and resources and better serve the local community.
“FeedMore is doing incredible work here,” Collett said. “I think it’s a wonderful organization, and the church is excited to partner with them in this way. It makes a difference; it’s a rising tide that raises all ships.”
Collin Bishop, FeedMore WNY’s Vice President of External Affairs, said he was “stunned” by both the donation’s size and diversity.
“This is an incredible donation,” Bishop said. “We’re so grateful for the Church of Latter-Day Saints for this donation today. It’s going to go a long way to helping our mission of feeding people in the community, providing nutritional assistance to people across our four-county service area.”
Bishop said the wide range of different products included in the donation, such as canned vegetables, proteins, grains more helps FeedMore WNY meet a wide range of needs on behalf of their more than 400 partner agencies.
“There’s so much we can do with the variety of product, not just the volume,” Bishop said. It’s going to help in so many different ways.”
He said the large donation was a great way to kick off Hunger Action Month, a September-long national awareness campaign shining light on food insecurity in the United States.
“The network of food banks across our country is celebrating it in September, raising awareness about the need across the country and in this community,” Bishop said.
He said this donation, like so many others FeedMore WNY’s receives every day, helps supply food banks, soup kitchens and other partner organizations throughout Erie, Niagara, Chatauqua and Cattaraugus counties.
“It doesn’t just stay here,” Bishop said.
Click the link below for information on how you can support FeedMore WNY’s mission to feed our neighbors in Western New York.