Philanthropists eye LDS model of self-reliance

They may seem drastically different: a nonprofit that helps children build lemonade stands, an organization that encourages character building through sports and The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. But they all have the same underlying goal: to promote economic self-reliance.

The LDS Church Thursday was the last stop on a nationwide tour highlighting best practices in economic self-reliance. During a two day conference sponsored by The Philanthropy Roundtable, representatives from charitable foundations across the country took a tour through Welfare Square, the LDS Humanitarian Center and the Bishop's Central Storehouse.

"We came to Utah to see Welfare Square because it is one of the nation's greatest models of cultivating self-reliance, not only for members of the Mormon faith but for people of all backgrounds," said Shannon Toronto, COO of The Philanthropy Roundtable, a national network of individual donors, corporate giving officers and foundation trustees.

Previous stops on The Philanthropy Roundtable's economic opportunity tour included Lemonade Day in Houston, which teaches children business skills, and Florida's Positive Coaching Alliance, a nonprofit that teams up with athletic leagues to teach principles of family and community.

The Philanthropy Roundtable, which is based in Washington D.C., seeks, among other efforts, to improve charitable outcomes by educating donors, Toronto said. Economic Opportunity, as it relates to self reliance, is one of the organizations major initiatives.

"We learned from our meeting today that the best programs recognize the dignity of the individual and that the highest quality of life is attained when a person becomes self reliant and can help others within her realm of influence," Toronto said.

Founded during the Great Depression when unemployment rates reached 50 to 70 percent in many areas, the LDS Church designed Welfare Square to help address both hunger and idleness, said Jim Goodrich, who manages the operation. Welfare Square consists of a storehouse, a bakery, a cannery, a milk processing plant, a thrift store and an employment center. For the most part, the operation is staffed by volunteers.

In the beginning, men put in a day of work on a farm in exchange for food from a small grocery store called the Bishop's Storehouse, Goodrich said. Today, the work is different: people "pay" for their food by completing a wide range of tasks ranging from canning vegetables to sorting clothes at the church's thrift store. But the principle isn't.