Jesus Christ

Bishop’s storehouses are a unique method of bringing food to the hungry. Feeding the hungry has been a part of Mormon life from the very beginning, and the current system has garnered attention from political leaders world-wide, as well as humanitarian leaders.

It differs in some ways from ordinary food banks. First, the food isn’t directly donated. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (sometimes called Mormons) produce or purchase the food. This allows for a consistent list of items available. The food is paid for by church members, who go without food or drink for twenty-four hours and then donate at least the amount of money saved by their monthly fast to a special fund used only to care for the poor. It’s not always much of a sacrifice to go pull a few cans out of your cupboard to donate to the poor, but it is a sacrifice to go without sustenance of any kind for a day. This sacrifice gives the members a very small look into the issue of hunger.

The purchased food is placed in a small storehouse which often looks much like a little grocery store, but without a cash register. Members of the church volunteer their time to staff the storehouse and assist other members who have a temporary food need in getting the supplies they need. The storehouse has both food and other supplies necessary for survival, including cleaning supplies, baby needs, and personal care items.

A member must be approved to visit the storehouse. He meets with church leaders to evaluate the needs of the family. Since supplies are limited by the donation amounts, it must go to those who most need it. Then the member is asked to make a two-week menu and the menu is used to fill out the form, itemizing what the family needs. This ensures families get the foods they really need and are comfortable eating, and also makes sure the food is useful to them. Often, a visit to a traditional food bank results in two bags of foods that don’t add up to meals-macaroni and cheese without butter or milk, or pasta without anything to put on it. A Mormon returning from the storehouse has often filled several small grocery carts and what goes into the cupboard will resemble a frugal trip to the grocery store, with enough food to really last two weeks.

This is possible because the food is normally only available to church members who have been approved for assistance. It is not really charity, in that the members have, in the past, helped to fund that storehouse with their own donations. It is something they give to when they can so it’s available to them when they need it. It’s only meant as temporary assistance while the family does what’s needed to get back on their feet again.

To that end, the Mormons have other programs that help people become self-sufficient-literacy classes, English classes, employment assistance, and other services as needed in a specific area. They’re encouraged to put away a year’s supply of food towards emergencies, gradually building that supply can by can. This allows them to take care of themselves during the first year of hardship, and saves the supplies for those with the greatest need.

When there is surplus produce, it is frequently donated to local community food banks. In 2008, the church donated many semi-trucks of peaches and apricots grown on a church orchard in Utah to food banks around the country who were facing serious food shortages. These items are grown for the storehouses, but in years where the church has more than it can use, it sends it out to the community.

Storehouses are one way the Mormons care for their own, allowing shrinking community resources to be used for those without a church to turn to. The Savior taught us to feed the hungry, and the Mormons are following in His footsteps.