Helping Hands

The Helping Hands program brings together members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and their neighbors to provide community service. These volunteers in their trademark yellow shirts help people whose lives have been affected by natural disasters and other emergencies. Helping Hands volunteers also partner with government and nonprofit organizations to support and improve the communities where they live.   

The Helping Hands program reflects the desire of Latter-day Saints to follow the example of Jesus Christ by serving others. The effort receives resources from Church humanitarian services, and the projects are coordinated by local Church leaders.

The Helping Hands program was established in 1998, and since then hundreds of thousands of volunteers have donated millions of hours of service to their communities. The program started in South America but has since spread to nearly every corner of the world.

Volunteer Charles Adebayo of Nigeria summed up the feelings of many who participate in the Helping Hands program: “We find real happiness when we think outside of ourselves. That is true joy,” he said.

Some of the previous news releases that cover Helping Hands projects are listed below:

El Salvador: Helping Hands Clean River Banks (Spanish) (4/27/2014)

Germany: Helping Hands Clean (German) (4/8/2014)

Washington State-USA: Latter-day Saints Help After March Mudslide Covers Part of Town (3/22/2014)

Pacific: Dozens of Projects Draw Helping Hands (2/25/2014)

Volunteers Building Homes for Typhoon Haiyan Victims (2/21/2014)

Brazil: Latter-day Saints Clean Up After Heavy Rains (Portuguese) (1/9/2014)

Costa Rica: Latter-day Saints Organize a Recycling Campaign (Spanish) (1/4/2014)

Latter-day Saints in the Philippines Help Clean Up and Rebuild After 7.2 Earthquake (11/1/2013)

Latter-day Saints Donating 400,000 Trees to Haiti (5/3/2013)

Latter-day Saints Respond to Typhoon Pablo With Relief Supplies, Service (1/16/2013)

Latter-day Saints Continue Aid for Neighbors of Sandy Disaster Into New Year (12/27/2012)

Thousands of Latter-day Saint Volunteers Turn Out to Help Victims of Sandy Over Thanksgiving Weekend (11/27/12)

Latter-day Saint Volunteers Give More Than 140,000 Hours of Service to Hurricane Sandy Victims (11/14/12)

(VIDEO) Filmmaker Shows Why Latter-day Saints Help Hurricane Sandy Victims (11/13/12)

New Round of Helping Hands Sandy Cleanup Projects Scheduled (11/7/12)

Helping Hands Cleanup After Sandy (11/4/12)

Church Issues Statement on Sandy: Local Latter-day Saints Stand Ready to Assist in Aftermath (10/30/12)

Northwest Area Day of Service Yields Dozens of Service Projects (10/4/12)

East Coast Helping Hands Work to Stop Hunger (10/3/12)

Helping Hands Busy in Africa (9/14/12)

Helping Hands Assist in Maryland Park Cleanup (Photo Essay) (5/23/2012)

Latter-day Saints in Brazil Participate in Volunteer Fair (1/22/2012)

Helping Hands Pitch in to Aid Neighbors in Tornado-Ravaged Southern U.S. (5/6/2011)

Thousands of Mormon Volunteers Lend a Hand in California and Hawaii (5/3/2011)

Day of Service in South Florida (4/13/2011)

Step Out Across Multiple States to Clean Up Their Communities (9/21/2010)

“Helping Hands” Program — A Decade of Service (10/27/2008)

"Helping Hands" Clean Up After Hurricane Ike (9/19/2008)

What Moves Latter-day Saints During Emergencies (8/11/2008)

Latter-day Saints Aid Flood Victims in Indiana, Iowa and Wisconsin  (6/17/2008)

New Zealanders Spruce Up Neighborhoods  (3/12/2008)

Brazilian Senate Honors Church and Its Members (11/30/2007)

One Hundred Thousand Africans Find Joy in Continent-Wide "Helping Hands" Project (11/9/2007)

Countrywide Helping Hands Project Benefits Schools in Brazil (10/9/2007)

Florida Youth Service Project Example of Latter-day Saint Core Values (7/18/2007)

Latter-day Saints Work With Communities to Prepare for Hurricanes (7/5/2007)

60,000 Latter-day Saints Volunteers Help 300 Brazilian Hospitals (5/9/2007)

Latter-day Saints to Mobilize Another 4,000 Volunteers in Chainsaw Brigade's Second Wave (9/16/2005)

Joining Hands as Neighbors and Now Friend (9/13/2005)