News Story

Brisbane Latter-day Saints Support 'Nightlight' Charity

Working with others to help individuals and families in need

Nightlight is a faith-based charity that responds to many community needs, including sharing meals with individuals experiencing homelessness, and assisting families going through difficult times.

Members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in the Beenleigh area have been working with Nightlight for the past few years, donating equipment, supplies and helping hands in support of the charity's motto: “Love in action."

These donations included lawn mowers and gardening tools, along with many other needed supplies.

When an Eagleby solo mother of six children, with a week-old newborn, approached a government agency for assistance with her overgrown garden they put her in contact with Nightlight for assistance.

Under normal circumstances, Nightlight would have been able to assist, but the need for help in the community is at an all-time high, and on this occasion, there were not enough hands to carry the load.

Thanks to an ongoing relationship with Church members, Michaela Porter, founder of Nightlight, reached out and requested some extra help.

On Friday evening, a call for assistance was put out to the Loganholme and Windaroo wards (congregations), and at 7am the next morning, a team of ready volunteers rolled mowers onto the mother’s property and set to work.

Due to the overwhelming nature of the task, a request for more assistance was put out on social media just after the first team’s arrival and by 11am, a group of 12 fathers and sons had arrived to donate their time also.

The waist-high grass was slashed and mowed, trees pruned back, the perimeter of the yard had been whipper-snipped, the property raked, and green waste was removed.

Although the equipment previously donated to Nightlight by the Church was available, volunteers came prepared and equipped with everything they needed.

Everyone in attendance gave what time they could, some only an hour, some longer.

Darren Rea had to leave before the end of the project but was excited to see the finished results. "Wow, that looks incredible," he said. "I really thought we wouldn't get it done. Everyone did a great job."

The owner of the home was astounded at the work that was completed and overwhelmed by the support she received. "Thank you so much. I could not have done this by myself," she said.

The garden is now safe for her and her children to enjoy, and due to the great success of the event, there are plans to complete more regular projects in the future.

Dallas Woolley, a local Latter-day Saint, said, “I’m glad we had the opportunity to help this mother. Hopefully our service lifted her spirit, helped her feel loved, and has given her increased hope for the future.”

Style Guide Note:When reporting about The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, please use the complete name of the Church in the first reference. For more information on the use of the name of the Church, go to our online Style Guide.