Welfare Square

This past Friday, Jordan and I decided to take an outing. Before we leave Utah, we have a few things that we need to see and cross off our list. This week we took a tour of Welfare Square in Salt Lake City.

We took the hour tour given to us by some Sister Missionaries. It was fun to learn little fun facts about our church's welfare system.

The Bakery! 4,000 loaves of bread can be made a day!

Jordan and Madison chilling with the storage to stock the Bishop's Storehouse

 The Bishop's Storehouse is like a little store with no price tags. If someone is in need the bishop of their ward is primarily responsible for accessing the individual's or family's specific needs. After careful accessing the bishop and individual feel out an order request form and the person can then take it to the storehouse and receive the food that he or she needs. In return the storehouse may ask them to help stock shelves or provide some sort of volunteer service
 to keep the storehouse running.

From I-15, the photo below shows the most prominent building on the square. This building is pure cement and only took 8 days to build. Inside there is 16 million tons of grain stored for rainy days. In 4-5 years the grain is switched out to keep the storage fresh.

Grain Storehouse

Along with bread, the LDS church makes and manufactures a lot of their own food. They make their own cheese, peanut butter, milk, grow and can own fruit, spaghetti sauce, and even more. They even have a lab to make sure that the food is good quality tastes good. All food that the church produces independently has the brand label of Deseret.

Where they process cheese

At the end of the tour, we were given the chance to taste a small cube of cheese, some chocolate milk, and even make a peanut butter and Jelly sandwich using all Deseret products.

Enjoying our chocolate milk!

The LDS Welfare system is amazing and designed to help all people in need. Whether it be a family that the provider has lost his or her job momentarily, or for people in an area after a natural disaster, the church's welfare system is there to help all. In this post I have only described a fraction of what the welfare system entails. In short: employment services are offered, Deseret Industries (another version of Goodwill), and addiction recovery and marriage counseling programs are also available. After Loving God (which we do by keeping His commandments), the second great commandment is loving thy neighbor.

Matthew 25: 34-40 states:

34 Then shall the King say unto them on his right hand, Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world:

 35 For I was an hungred, and ye gave me meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me in:

 36 Naked, and ye clothed me: I was sick, and ye visited me: I was in prison, and ye came unto me.

 37 Then shall the righteous answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungred, and fed thee? or thirsty, and gave thee drink?

 38 When saw we thee a stranger, and took thee in? or naked, and clothed thee?

 39 Or when saw we thee sick, or in prison, and came unto thee?

 40 And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me.

Link: For more videos on the specifics of the welfare system as well as service.