LDS Church assists the needy with 'best food money can't buy'

The busy Bishops' Storehouse seems like any other grocery store at first glance. The shelves are neatly lined with canned goods. The mouthwatering smell of fresh bread wafts through the aisles.

But there are no cash registers here. The fruits and vegetables, just-made cheeses and milk are free — a safety net for those in need provided by the 13 million members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

"We like to call it the best food money can't buy," said Jim Goodrich, who oversees the storehouse and other facilities on the church's 13-plus-acre Welfare Square on Salt Lake City's west side.

Mormons may be among this country's best prepared to weather the current economic hard times. Since the Great Depression, church leaders have preached a doctrine of self-reliance and selflessness, calling on members to plan for their own future while tending to the needs of others.

"It's a critical component of our theology," said Presiding Bishop H. David Burton, a senior church administrator who oversees the faith's worldwide welfare and humanitarian services programs.

Members are encouraged to squirrel away a few months of living expenses and stock a one-year supply of emergency food. Church handouts, classes and a Web site provide resources for learning how to prepare, store and later cook with emergency food supplies, so that nothing goes to waste.

Each month, members skip two meals and give the money they would have spent on food to church welfare programs, paying for the commodities, clothing, job training and other services made available to the needy.

The church also works in partnership with other faith traditions and local social service agencies to share surplus commodities and support services.

Goodrich's Welfare Square is the heart of the program. Founded in the 1930s, the square is home to a cannery, milk and cheese processing facility; a landmark 16-million-pound grain elevator that can be seen from Interstate 15; bakery, storehouse, thrift store and employment center, all of which are run mostly by volunteers serving church missions.

Over the years, the safety net has extended worldwide to include a network of farms, orchards, dairies and cattle ranches that provide the raw material for the commodities that are harvested, processed and packaged — including goodies like peanut butter, honey, jam and salsa — at church facilities.