Sister Sharon Eubank, director of LDS Charities, mobilizes during global pandemic BY GENELLE PUGMIRE
Daily Herald
If you want to know what it’s like to bring a global pandemic into your living room, ask Sister Sharon Eubank, director of Latter-day Saint Charities. For her health and those she lives with, Eubank must be extremely careful of getting or spreading COVID-19. That means she has worked with her teams nearly nonstop from her home computer. LDS Charities, the humanitarian arm of the church, was created in 1985 in response to the Ethiopian famine. The church called for a special fast and monetary donation among its membership. Since then, the church has responded to many other needs around the world, according to church information. To say Latter-day Saint Charities is a global force for good is understating its ability to mobilize and their humanitarian power. That power has been propelled into high gear with COVID-19, according to Eubank. Eubank also serves as first counselor in the general COURTESY INTELLECTUAL PROPERTIES presidency of the Relief Society, the church’s organization for its 6 million female members ages 18 and over. Her Latter-day Saint Charities worked with international medical nonprofit MedGlobal to provide medical supplies to prevent day job is directing volunteers and working with hundreds the spread of COVID-19 in Majdal Anjar, Lebanon, where there is a large refugee population of partners in helping with crises throughout the world, according to her church biography. ways.” Throughout the world, the church is divided into areas Working from home with General Authority Seventies over each area. They In January, with a global pandemic at her doorstep, Eu- also have teams representing Latter-day Saint Charities bank and her team started planning on how they could that work with those leaders in each area of the world and respond to basically everyone’s needs. report to Eubank. “We’re giving 147% or more,” Eubank said. “There is “This is the first time responding to a global event,” Eubank said. “Everybody in the whole world is being af- nothing more pressing.” fected.” Typically, Latter-day Saint Charities responds to in- Project Protect dividual disasters such as hurricanes, earthquakes, tyOne of the biggest needs through the pandemic has phoons and volcanoes. been face masks. In late spring, Latter-day Saint ChariNever have those charities had to respond to the entire ties along with other partners sponsored Project Protect. world at once, and Eubank said they had to look at the The goal was to make 5 million face masks in five weeks, issue with a whole new set of eyes. according to Eubank. With instructions and cloth cut, “We don’t have to motivate LDS volunteers during CO- more than 10,000 volunteers reached their goal. Some VID-19,” Eubank said. “It is the biggest response and the volunteers have continued to make masks as service projlargest (we’ve had) in 162 countries.” ects and have made nearly 1 million more. At the same time, volunteers were sewing face masks Perhaps the biggest question for Eubank is: How do you respond to, organize and assign and direct a global in Utah, the church’s Beehive Clothing facilities in Brazil, event from your living room? Eubank said there are 20 Mexico, Paraguay, the Philippines and Utah shifted their members of her team at church headquarters in Salt Lake operations from the manufacture of religious clothing to COURTESY INTELLECTUAL PROPERTIES City and they meet daily. the sewing of masks (all locations) and gowns (Utah only) Sister Sharon Eubank, director of Latter-day Saint Charities “We are looking at technology to see what we can do,” and First Counselor in the general presidency of the Relief Eubank said. “It’s forcing us to do things in different Please see CHARITIES, Page AA23 Society. A22 LDS GUIDE
