Service rendered at Welfare Square in Salt Lake City blesses Church members and non-members alike, and is symbolic of the efforts of countless Latter-day Saints to ease the suffering of the poor and afflicted throughout the world.

The square - an entire city block - is the showcase of Church welfare efforts and includes a bishops' storehouse, cannery, bakery, milk plant, Deseret Industries outlet, LDS Social Services office, employment center, transient services office and new visitors center."Members of the Church are longing for opportunities to give of their substance to help the less-fortunate, those in need both in and outside of the Church," noted Keith B. McMullin, managing director of Church Welfare Services. "The one thing they sometimes don't understand is that the donations they make to the welfare program often result in assistance being extended to non-members as well as members. Those donations can be in the form of fast offerings, labor on welfare projects at Welfare Square and elsewhere, contributions to Deseret Industries, volunteer service at employment centers and support to LDS Social Services.

"By donating through established means, they are automatically giving of themselves to meet many of the world's problems, be it those of the homeless, disenfranchised, refugees or other poor people of the world."

As an example, Brother McMullin said surplus Deseret Industries clothing is shipped to the "far reaches of the earth to clothe people who are destitute. All members should appreciate the fact that when they donate to Deseret Industries, they are not only helping the stores near their homes, but are also helping people in Mozambique, Peru, and many homeless and indigent locally who are not members of the Church."

"All of this happens under the direction of the General Welfare Committee of the Church," Brother McMullin said. "People wonder where they can donate their time and effort to help others, and we have the opportunities readily available through the Church."

He added that countless opportunities to provide welfare service are available not only to adult members,

but also to the youth of the Church as well.

"Our young people want to contribute to the solutions of the problems facing Church members and society at large, with a particularly keen interest in helping the homeless," said Brother McMullin. "Those opportunities are there and available for them, with some effort by their leaders to make arrangements for those types of service efforts."

At Welfare Square, the Church has services to assist transient people of all faiths and nationalities who may need help. A mother with children might need food, clothing, or a room for the night. Perhaps financial assistance for a bus ticket would be offered, to get someone to their home or to their loved ones far away.

Six former bishops have been called to interview upwards of 1,000 transient people a month at Welfare Square to determine how best to meet their needs. About 75 percent of those are not Church members. People who receive help are expected to work for what they receive in most cases, Brother McMullin explained.

"One of the first questions we ask is, `Are you willing to work?' " added Kevin R. Nield, manager of the Welfare Square Bishop's Storehouse. "Most are very eager to work for what they receive. Very few say no."

In some assistance efforts, the Church works in cooperation with community relief agencies. Expertise, manpower and sometimes resources are exchanged as specific needs arise. And through Church welfare channels, members can learn of community service opportunities apart from those provided under the existing Church welfare infrastructure. "If members of the Church have medical skills, or other special talents they want to share, we can use them or steer them to an outlet in the community where they can offer that type of service," Brother McMullin said.

Here is a summary of the services provided at Welfare Square, as explained by Brother Nield and Kent Thurgood, manager of the Welfare Square Deseret Industries outlet. It is indicative of the types of welfare assistance offered throughout much of the Church.

1. Transient services - The homeless and others in transient circumstances are interviewed to determine their needs. They receive assistance - members and non-members alike - based on need, and to relieve suffering.

"One of the interesting things at the Welfare Square Deseret Industries is that we never have sleeping bags, duffle bags or backpacks on our sales floor," said Brother Thurgood. "The transient people need them all. They are reserved for them in a back room."

Brother Nield told of young women from a Salt Lake City ward who brought in four quilts for donation. He said the quilts would be placed in the transient office, and most likely go to a homeless mother with children as an anonymous donation. "These young women can know their gift is going to someone who is really in need," he said.

2. Visitors center - Ten couples have been called to serve in the visitors center. They host dignitaries and other visitors to the square, explaining the principles and practices of Church welfare.

The center is open Monday through Friday. "It's not open on weekends, because the best thing to see at Welfare Square is people in action," noted Brother Nield. "They are not there Saturdays or Sundays, so it's hard to show visitors what's going on when the buildings are empty."

3. Bishops' storehouse - The storehouse stockpiles food items provided through many Church welfare projects that are designated for the needy. More than 100 members and some non-members who receive Church welfare assistance serve at the storehouse in a variety of capacities. Most are sent there by their bishops.

The storehouse is not only a place where people can work for what they receive, but also a place that helps a person become more employable through learning good work habits and limited specific job skills.

4. Cannery - The cannery is where products from Church welfare farms are canned or packaged using volunteer labor, making possible food for the poor. It also provides some opportunities for members to do family canning for home storage.

5. Bakery - The Salt Lake Riverside Stake is the agent stake for the bakery, explained Brother Nield. Every day a ward in that stake is responsible to have people there for four to five hours to package bread. "They are there faithfully every day, packaging whole-wheat and white, unsliced bread before it's distributed through the storehouse."

6. Deseret Industries - Goods donated by Church members and others in the community are distributed to the poor through Deseret Industries. The Welfare Square outlet employs 180 people who are unemployable elsewhere. About 60 of these people are trained and placed in employment in the community each year. Five rehabilitation service workers are called by the area presidency to provide one-on-one help to those being trained. "Many more are needed," Brother Thurgood said. "We don't teach specific job skills, with a few exceptions like appliance and television repair, and cashiering, but we mostly help them learn successful work habits and the personal characteristics needed to succeed in the labor market."

7. Employment center - Church members report job opportunities to employment specialists in wards and stakes, which if not filled locally, are passed along to the Welfare Square center. Members called to serve in the center help the unemployed find opportunities for employment.

"The dream of the employment center," according to Brother Thurgood, "is that we would have few unemployed if each member of the Church would regularly report about job openings where he or she works."

8. LDS Social Services - Provides professional licensed, clinical and health services.

Brother Nield concluded by emphasizing that opportunities to help - at Welfare Square and elsewhere - are limitless.

"Touching examples of service in all of these areas go on every day at Welfare Square," he emphasized. "It happens, and happens regularly. It's not something that sounds good in theory, but something that is relieving much suffering through the unselfish service of members of the Church."