A World Wide Charity
The Welfare Program of the Church of Jesus Christ
Of Latter Day Saints
Kalisi Uluave
History 2700
Service Learning Project
November 29, 2001
The welfare program for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints is deeply rooted in a spirit of volunteerism. There is great concern among members of the church that each member is assisted in times of need and that no member should ever go without the basic needs of daily life. From the time the church was first organized in 1830, the Mormon faithful have created a system to care for their own. The remarkable compassion of the welfare program is a fundamental part of the Mormon faith. This service-learning project examines the Mormon Church welfare system and how and why it has developed, as well as the effects of this charity.
When Mormon pioneers settled the area known as the Iron Mission in present day Iron County, Utah, they arrived in unfamiliar territory with little material means. They obeyed instruction from their church leader, Brigham Young, to move and settle the Iron Mission. They hardly knew what lay ahead of them as they began their journey south from Salt Lake City.
Iron County was, and still is, a barren desert. When the pioneers first arrived, they did not know where water and timber could be located with which to build homes and start farms. The soil was red, indicating high iron content and it was evident that iron was an available resource; however, human life could not be sustained without good soil for farming.
The first years of settlement were difficult. The soil was not as fertile as the settlers had hoped. Water was supplied from mountain streams and wells, and in a desert community such as Iron County, water soon became the most precious resource needed. The settlers always feared that at some point water would not be available to them. The pioneers worked relentlessly to build their homes, to build schools, and till the land and make it productive.
Despite the hardships and little productivity from agriculture, the Mormon pioneers labored long and hard to build a community. With little capital, meager agricultural yields, and lack of water, it is miraculous that the settlement at Cedar City even continued to exist. In such circumstances other settlers would have left and moved on looking for more favorable conditions to build a settlement. Those early pioneers were perhaps, too destitute to move elsewhere, although some individuals had the means to move but did not. These settlers believed that there was some divine reason they should stay even though they did not know exactly what it was. They had faith in their decision to stay and vowed to follow their leader’s instructions no matter what difficulties came.
There are two words which best describe those early Iron County pioneers: faithful and poor. They had no more than the shirts on their backs and their faith to hold them together in this unproductive and distant settlement. The early settlers learned to rely on one another to make ends meet and to survive. They took great measures to care for and help one another, and to support each other emotionally, spiritually, and physically.
In the Book of Mormon (which Mormons consider scripture) there is a passage on page 120 in the book of Jacob, second chapter, 18th and 19th verses which reads:
“But before ye seek for riches, seek ye for the kingdom of God. And after ye have obtained a hope in Christ ye shall obtain riches, if ye seek them; seek them for the intent to do good - to clothe the naked, and to feed the hungry, and to liberate the captive, and administer relief to the sick and the afflicted.”
With great devotion to their faith the early Mormon pioneers sought for riches by helping the poor, which actually included all of them. They believed that the riches they lacked would be granted to them if they would use what they had for the benefit of others.
This dedicated devotion and labor has paid off. Today Cedar City is a beautiful community where many have chosen to live and make their livelihoods. Today we no longer encounter the difficulties that the early Mormon pioneers faced. This community continued to exist when other communities of similar circumstances failed and were abandoned.
The belief in caring for the poor and the needy has not diminished among the Mormon faithful. Although we now live in a time of greater prosperity, there are still many who are poor and needy because circumstances can change often. Illness, tragedy, accidents, and financial mishaps create needs. At different times, each person has struggles in his/her life. The Mormon Church has expanded it’s belief to care for others, clothe the naked, feed the hungry, and administer relief to the sick and the afflicted into a welfare system which has been commended and praised by many civic leaders, both nationally and globally. This system has helped the lives of thousands in Iron County, in Utah, and across the entire world.
History of the Mormon Church Welfare Program
The Mormon Church welfare program was officially started in April of 1936, during the Great Depression in the United States. Unemployment rates neared or exceeded 30 percent all across the nation. Many men could not adequately provide for their families. The nation’s banks and industries were failing. Poverty was growing exponentially along with numerous other problems associated with it. Many sought help from the government, but with the government already hard-stricken, help was either non-existent or inadequate.
Mormon Church leaders have always taught church members to be frugal and thrifty and to avoid debt, and to be independent and self-sustaining. The church strongly believes that idleness is a curse, and that every man should work to the best of his ability to sustain the physical well being for himself and his family. In 1936, there were many difficulties prohibiting most church members from self-independence. Church leaders were concerned over the need to assist church members. They did not want church members to rely on the government for help nor increase the government’s burdens. Church leaders felt that there were adequate resources available to them to help church members in need.
Mormon congregations are divided into geographical regions called stakes. A Stake President leads each stake. Within each stake are smaller geographical regions called wards. There are between two and twelve wards in a stake. A Bishop leads each ward and is responsible for the members of his ward. Church leaders are lay members, not professional clergy. They have normal lives with careers in some sort of non-religious profession. They volunteer their time and effort to Church responsibilities. No one at any level within the Church receives any sort of wage or compensation for his or her duties. There is a hierarchical order in which each leader reports to someone of higher authority. In each ward Bishops are responsible for welfare matters. They are to aid the poor and needy within their wards and help them acquire assistance when needed. Faithful members also donate one-tenth of their income as tithing to the Church. On the first Sunday of each month church members observe a fast for two meals. The money that would have been used for those two meals is donated to the Church as a fast offering. This money is used exclusively to aid the poor and to fund welfare.
Prior to 1936 there was an informal welfare system already established in Salt Lake City, Utah, where the greatest concentration of church members lived. The church acquired land through purchase and donation for members to conduct welfare projects. Under the direction of Stake Presidents and Bishops, church members worked on various welfare projects to aid the poor and needy within the stake. Gardens and farms were created to grow crops that could be canned or dehydrated and stored for distribution. Some farms grew only crops; others had beef cattle, hogs, chickens, and turkeys. Meat was either canned or frozen. Animals were slaughtered whenever there was need. This way spoilage could be avoided. One church member, Elmer Christensen, was a chemist who worked for the state. He used his expertise to advise church members how to safely can and preserve food for storage. (Pure Religion. Glen L Rudd. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. United States of America. 1995. Page 17).
Under the direction of the ward Bishop these goods were put into a storage facility called the Bishop’s storehouse. A needy family in the ward could go with the Bishop to the storehouse and take whatever they needed to sustain the family for two or three weeks. A needy family was allowed to take only a reasonable amount determined by the Bishop. Only Bishops and a select few had access to these storehouses.
After a family received commodities from the Bishop’s storehouse, they were assigned a work task or some other project to compensate for the goods they had received. They were expected to carefully carry out work assignments given by the Bishop. Work tasks included working on a welfare farm or in a cannery. Bishops were instructed not to give anyone money for work performed. Welfare matters were conducted confidentially. Only the Bishop would know who was working to compensate for received commodities. Bishops used the verse of scripture stated earlier to motivate members to help others by using their available resources for the benefit of the poor. There was always abundant help from many volunteers who worked to keep the farms in production.
Ward welfare projects began to be more successful and productive. Due to increased productivity, ward and stake welfare projects were expanded and Bishop’s storehouses were also expanded. The church was also growing and so were the needs for welfare assistance. By 1936 stake welfare projects and Bishops’ storehouses were consolidated. A new committee was formed to oversee all welfare projects and relieve stake presidents from responsibilities for any goods produced for welfare. In Salt Lake City a new facility called Welfare Square was built. This facility became a production plant for welfare commodities. The facility has been upgraded and improved over the years. Today there is a milk plant, a butcher shop, grain elevators, a large-scale cannery, storage cellars, a sewing center and clothing department, print shops, a barbershop, and a repair facility. Bishops’ storehouses have also been built at various locations across the United States. The church owns and operates 106 storehouses, 87 canneries, and more than 100 farms to produce goods that are distributed through the church welfare program and in large-scale humanitarian projects. All of these projects are funded with money from fast offerings.
Deseret Industries
The first aspect of my service-learning project was done at Deseret Industries, also known as DI. The first DI store was opened on August 12, 1938 in Salt Lake City. Deseret Industries is a non-profit enterprise that has been established through the welfare program. DI is a thrift store that was established to help people help themselves by encouraging independence rather than dependence on free welfare commodities. DI provides employment for welfare recipients and disabled or handicapped people who are not able to secure employment on the open market. Employees participate in job training to help them improve their working skills so that they can move into regular commercial employment. As employees move on, new workers are able to participate in the program. Anyone can donate used items to the store that can be refurbished and resold. Donors may fill out a donation receipt and list the items and their value. These donation receipts can be used as tax deductions for charitable donations.
The DI store in Cedar City is located at 75 West 535 South. The store manager is Dennis Goldsworthy. He has over 18 years experience working with DI. Scott Smith, an assistant manager, arranged service times for this project.
For this project, I met with the store managers who explained the purposes and operation of DI. I toured the store and helped employees in their various tasks. The Cedar City DI store has 30 employees. My first assignment was to help at the front of the store in the garage area where people drop off their donations. DI will accept just about anything that is not hazardous: old home furnishings, appliances, dishes, clothing, shoes, books and magazines, games, toys, and video and audio cassettes. As customers arrived I greeted them and helped unload donations from their cars. Some of the donations were really old and beat up, and some were nice and had been well kept. Each customer is thanked for their donation and is offered a donation receipt. All the donations are put into carts. They are then sorted and labeled with a price tag. There is not anything that is expensively priced. Donated clothing is washed and pressed and shoes are paired and cleaned. Not all the donations can be refurbished or re-sold. Such items are thrown out and later hauled to the landfill. I helped move items around the store and stock shelves. If items remain on the shelf for a long time and are not sold, they are removed from the shelf and thrown out.
More than anything else, DI receives more clothing donations than they have room for. If the excess clothing is in good condition, it is packaged and sent to Welfare Square in Salt Lake City. There it is mended and cleaned in the sewing center. It is then packaged and bound in 100-pound bales. Clothing bales are prepared to ship to foreign countries to aid in humanitarian efforts. Deseret Industries has donated clothing to India, Russia, all over Africa, Kosovo, and currently Afghanistan. DI also sells brand new furniture and mattresses that are manufactured by DI employees in Salt Lake City. The store is non-profit; therefore, the money earned is entirely used to pay operating expenses, employee wages, and the salaries for two full-time managers. Any remaining money is put back into a general welfare fund to use in other projects.
The employees at DI were all very friendly and helpful. They do their jobs well. They are able to work with dignity and are grateful for the opportunity to be independent and work on their own. I worked with two other employees loading appliances into a truck trailer to be hauled to a repair facility at the DI store in St. George. DI is always grateful to receive volunteer help because others are able to see and learn the purposes of this great welfare resource. There is always a need for a handyman who can train others how to do minor repairs on appliances and other donations.
Bishop’s Storehouse and Cannery
The Bishop’s storehouse was the second part of my service project. The Bishop’s storehouse is located at 219 East 275 North. The storehouse directors are Dale and Glenna Peterson. They have been the directors for nearly one year. They are retired and volunteer their time and efforts in the storehouse two or three days each week.
The storehouse receives goods from Welfare Square in Salt Lake City. They are delivered in a large semi truck once a month. Perishable goods that cannot be shipped are purchased locally for distribution to welfare recipients. Money collected from fast offering donations is used to purchase these goods. Besides food, the storehouse is also supplied with baby products, household products, and personal products such as soap and disposable razors.
The Cedar City storehouse serves the needs of 12 stakes from the Nevada border to Bryce Canyon. When a family is in need of assistance, the head of the family meets with their Bishop who determines the amount of help needed. The Bishop signs and fills out an order for commodities, which the church member brings to the storehouse. At the storehouse I was assigned to review orders and help people get the items listed on their order. I was anxious at first because I did not want anyone to feel ashamed for coming into the storehouse for welfare help, especially if I knew him or her personally. The storehouse is set up just like a grocery store. When people enter they hand in their orders and get a grocery cart. I would follow them around the aisles where everything is stocked on shelves and help gather items on their order. It was humbling to see people receive the help. Most were very grateful. I also helped re-stock shelves and carry out orders to people’s cars.
Also at the storehouse is a dry pack cannery. The storehouse receives bulk shipments of pastas, grains, dry milk, and various dehydrated fruits and vegetables. These goods are put into large cans or airtight packages and labeled. Each label is color-coded and lists nutrient information. I helped can dried apples and potato flakes. These goods were set out on shelves for those who have a Bishop’s order for them.
Church members are also encouraged to have a one-year supply of food storage in their homes. If there is a situation that arises, such as unemployment or illness, a family will have stored food, which they can use until circumstances change. Church members can purchase, in bulk, dried goods and the necessary supplies to can them. These items are sold at cost and are inexpensive. Members can use the facility themselves at no extra charge to can and label food for their home storage. I was able to show others how to weigh the contents and seal the can properly. It is not a difficult process. I also helped take inventory. There were over 10,000 pounds of wheat and pasta products. When the canning was complete I helped clean up and prepare the equipment for subsequent use. Prior to September 11, 2001 the cannery was not used very often. Since September 11th the facility is used much more.
Welfare Farm
The third part of my service-learning project was done at the Church welfare farm in Hurricane. The Church owns a 94-acre orchard where peaches and apricots are grown. The director of the farm is Reed Reeve. He is a retired farmer and has worked in the orchard for three years. He is the only paid employee at the farm. Volunteers from wards and stakes help run the farm.
This past year the orchard produced 315,00 pounds of peaches and 188,000 pounds of apricots. Each year’s crop is taken to a church cannery in St. George where it is dehydrated or canned. None of the crop is ever sold commercially. This year’s yield was tremendous despite the drought. The early Mormon Pioneers would be amazed to see such a production in this arid land that they had originally settled. There is always need for volunteer help at the orchard. This year’s crop had already been taken to the cannery when I inquired about doing service on the farm. At the orchard I worked with Mr. Reeve to prune and thin trees. All the branches are shredded and used as mulch around the base of the trees. We also worked on the sprinkling system by repairing pipes. There are no rotating sprinkler heads on the system because of water shortages. There are long, thin pipes, with small drip heads that go to the base of each tree. This way water is routed directly to the base and roots of the tree and not wasted through evaporation.
Conclusion
I have been really impressed at the organization of the welfare system for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. The amount of volunteer opportunities are great, as well are the hours of donated volunteer work. The Church has the ability to help in many various places and circumstances. As long as there are poor and needy people in the world, the Mormon Church will continue to operate it’s welfare program. Occasionally there are people who try to take advantage of the system. There are people who take more than they need and are not willing to do any work for the goods they have taken. In such instances it is frustrating because the goals of the program are to help people become independent and not dependent or demanding. Church leaders try to prevent people from abusing the system by turning away those who refuse to work for what they take. However, the general feeling of the Church is to fault on being too generous, rather than being too stingy. The Church has enough commodities available even when there are individuals who ungratefully take advantage of the program. No one is ever turned away if his or her needs are legitimate. I am thankful for the experience of this service-learning project. I have really felt the true spirit of volunteerism during the course of this project.