President Nelson: church sending aid to China

Jan 29, 2020, 9:03 AM | Updated: Mar 12, 2020, 9:30 am

Warehouse workers load supplies as The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints sends aid to China in Salt Lake City on Wednesday, Jan. 29, 2020. Respirator masks, protective googles and protective suits are being sent. Photo Jeffrey D. Allred, Deseret News

BY COLBY WALKER

Former Digital Content Producer

Church partners with Project HOPE to send aid to China
220,000 respirator masks, 870 pairs of protective goggles and more than 6,500 pairs of protective coveralls will be sent to the Shanghai Children’s Medical Center

SALT LAKE CITY — With the growing outbreak of coronavirus, President Russell M. Nelson announced The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints will send aid to China.

In a statement from the church, they say they will be sending 220,000 respirator masks, 870 pairs of protective goggles and more than 6,500 pairs of protective coveralls all sent on 79 pallets.

Cameron Hatch, a program specialist with Latter-day Saint Charities says these supplies will replenish a dwindling supply of personal protective equipment in China.

“We are sending these supplies to the Shanghai Children’s Medical Center. The staff will use the equipment as they treat those who have this virus. When they go on break, they have to take the equipment off. When they come back, they need new equipment. So the supplies are depleting quite rapidly.

“Neighboring countries are stockpiling these items for their own needs. Hence the need for us to send supplies from the US.”

Hatch says that President Nelson requested Latter-day Saint Charities to begin looking at their global partners that were already doing work to help with the virus and see if the church could help.

He says that’s when they learned that Project HOPE was already doing work in Wuhan and when they got in touch they specifically asked for the masks, goggles and coveralls.

Cameron Hatch, with Latter-day Saints Charities emergency response team speaks with KSL ahead of a shipment of medical equipment to China. 1/29/20
Photo (Derek Petersen, KSL TV)

Adam Hunt, bishop's central storehouse, warehouse worker helps gather supplies onto pallets to get them ready to ship out. Photo (Derek Petersen, KSL TV)

The 95-year-old president of the church has had a 40-year professional relationship with China. That country recognized him as an ‘Old Friend of China’ after he introduced the country to open-heart surgery in 1980. Five years later, he performed his final open-heart operation on the famous Chinese opera star Fang Rongxiang.

That surgery happened after his official retirement the previous year when he accepted a call to become an apostle of the church.

“These are our dear brothers and sisters,” President Nelson said in a statement, “and we feel privileged to be able to offer some small measure of help. We pray for them, and know God will bless them.”