Food and household supplies filling over 300 boxes will be distributed to Navajo Nation residents as part of a local COVID-19 relief effort.
Boxes will be delivered door-to-door Saturday in the nation’s Utah portion, according to Pastor Jean Schwien of the First United Methodist Church of Cortez.
Schwien said the effort has been organized in partnership with Pastor Norman Mark and the Native Grace Intertribal Fellowship. Members of the fellowship talked with neighbors to find who still needs help.
The first delivery will include 160 boxes each of food and household supplies. Schwien estimates one food box weighs about 25 pounds and includes pantry staples like rice, beans, flour and peanut butter. Household supply boxes include toilet paper, soaps and bleach.
Residents of The Bridge and fellowship members were among the volunteers helping to pack the boxes Friday. For Schwien, it’s about putting faith into action.
“If we just say that we love our neighbor and don’t actually get out there and put the hard work in of making it happen, it doesn’t really mean much,” Schwien said.
The relief effort started with a $15,000 grant from a disaster relief fund provided by the Mountain Sky Conference of the United Methodist Church.
The church continues to accept donations. While diapers and baby wipes are among the high-demand items, Schwien said it’s generally easier to work with financial donations.
“The financial donations will keep us going well into the summer,” she said.