The basis of Church welfare programs is individual self-reliance, not a handout that might rob the receiver of self-respect.
Members are encouraged to provide for themselves before calling on others for help. Those who need additional help turn first to their families. When members and their families have done all they can and still have welfare needs, the Church provides temporary, life-sustaining help so that the family can get back on its feet.
Local leaders determine needs by consulting with the individual or family. The bishop, who is the leader of the local congregation and who knows his people, asks those who need help to accept a work assignment tailored to their abilities. They may be asked to work in a Church welfare operation, beautify the grounds of the local church, or give service to other needy members. Whatever the assignment, the Church believes that people who work for what they receive are more likely to preserve their self-respect and maintain their self-reliance.
Financing for Church welfare programs comes from an unusual source. Latter-day Saints fast-that is, do without meals-one day each month. The value of the meals missed, or more, is donated for the care of the poor and needy. In addition, volunteers provide a substantial amount of the work on Church welfare farms, in canneries, and in other facilities. During 1999, volunteers gave approximately a half million man-days of labor.
Church Welfare Services includes employment rehabilitation and placement, commodity assistance, and education. In 1999, Church employment centers in the United States and Canada placed 58,626 people in jobs. Service locations include storehouses (108), canneries (97), employment centers (162), Deseret Industries thrift stores (47), and farms and other production facilities (99).
LDS Social Services, a separate nonprofit corporation, receives a grant annually from the Church to provide adoption, foster care, and counseling services in 63 offices.
More than 1,600 welfare missionaries currently serve without pay in 40 countries, sharing their skills in production, employment, education, and social and medical services. The Church and its members have sent relief to victims of 104 major disasters since 1986.
When communities are stricken with major disasters and face difficulties beyond their abilities to meet, the Church calls upon an effective and sophisticated humanitarian aid program. The objective is to help the needy, without regard to religious affiliation, ethnicity or nationality, or any other consideration.
Humanitarian assistance rendered has reached 147 countries and is valued at tens of millions of dollars annually. Since 1985, supplies that have been distributed include 18,684 tons of food, 2,765 tons of medical equipment, 31,877 tons of surplus clothing, and 1,588 tons of educational supplies. The Church has established Latter-day Saint Charities, an organization that distributes food, offers assistance during times of disaster, funds and encourages projects that benefit stricken communities, teaches self-reliance, and helps people begin small business enterprises in their own homes.
© 2000 by Intellectual Reserve, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
© 2000 by Intellectual Reserve, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
