The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has dedicated an expanded regional bishops’ storehouse in Grand Junction, Colorado. The Church operates over 100 similar storehouses across the United States to provide food and household items to those who cannot afford them. Leaders of local congregations (bishops) coordinate efforts to provide goods for their members and others who are in need.
The new 5,000 square-foot center is about twice the size of the old building, housing a home storage center as well as storehouse and warehouse areas. Home storage centers sell bulk food items and other supplies at or near cost to community members to help them prepare for times of emergency, natural disaster or financial hardship. The new center was built to provide more space for patrons and storage and to allow for functional upgrades.
Elder George F. Rhodes of the Seventy dedicated the facility Saturday, and a number of local civic and non-profit leaders from the community attended. Elder Rhodes encouraged Church members to continue their support of storehouses and other Church welfare efforts through fast offerings.
The Church designates one Sunday each month, usually the first Sunday, as a day of fasting. Members are asked to go without food and drink for two consecutive meals, or approximately 24 hours. They are also asked to contribute the money that they would have spent on food for those meals to the Church’s welfare system. This money is called a fast offering.
Many of the products available at the storehouse are produced at Church-owned facilities, and Church volunteers provide much of the labor to produce those goods. Frequently in Sunday church meetings, a leader will announce the need for members to volunteer their time to help produce goods for the bishops’ storehouse that will be used to help the poor.
For more about the Church’s storehouses and welfare program, see the resources below:
Church Welfare Program Helps People Help Themselves During Tough Economic Times
Welfare Square: Place of Hope for the Needy
Humanitarian Aid and Welfare Services Basics: How Donations and Resources Are Used
New Bishops' Central Storehouse Ready to Serve the Needy
Religious Americans as Neighbors: Insights from American Grace
Mormon Volunteerism Highlighted in New Study
Topics: Welfare and Self-Reliance, Food Storage, Fasting