"For behold, it is not meet that I should command in all things; for he that is compelled in all things, the same is a slothful and not a wise servant; wherefore he receiveth no reward.

"Verily I say, men should be anxiously engaged in a good cause, and do many things of their own free will, and bring to pass much righteousness;"For the power is in them, wherein they are agents unto themselves. And inasmuch as men do good they shall in nowise lose their reward.

"But he that doeth not anything until he is commanded, and receiveth a commandment with doubtful heart, and keepeth it with slothfulness, the same is damned." - D&C 58:26-29

Many local and general leaders of the Church played important roles in the inauguration of the welfare plan as the Spirit of the Lord prompted them to meet the dire needs of members during the Depression of the 1930s.

One such leader was Bishop Jesse Moroni Drury of the Salt Lake Fifth Ward in the Pioneer Stake in central Salt Lake City.

President Thomas S. Monson, second counselor in the First Presidency and chairman of the General Welfare Services Executive Committee of the Church, remembered Bishop Drury's efforts to meet members' pressing welfare needs:

"Brother Drury was second counselor in the stake presidency when I was a young Aaronic Priesthood holder in the Pioneer Stake, and he was the storehouse keeper at Welfare Square when I was a bishop of the ward with the greatest welfare load in the Church. How I relied on his wisdom and judgment. What a magnificent leader he was."

Born Nov. 11, 1875, Bishop Drury served from April 1930 to July 1937 - through the heart of the Depression - and found more than half the membership of his ward unemployed in the spring of 1932. After prayerful consideration, he directed the initiation of a 14-acre welfare garden project at 300 West and 1300 South. The project put to work many unemployed in the ward and provided a bounteous crop to help feed needy families.

Pipe was donated by the Rio Grande Railroad to irrigate the land, and Utah Power and Light Co. donated a light pole, placed in the middle of the property so people could work late into the evenings.

According to one observer, "With its well-cultivated rows of vegetables and sugar beets, it was one of the show places of the city."

In June of that same year, the Pioneer Stake, under the leadership of then- stake Pres. Harold B. Lee and his counselors, Charles S. Hyde and Paul C. Child, organized a stake welfare plan and opened a bishops' storehouse on Pierpont Avenue in conjunction with the Salt Lake Stake. Bishop Drury was called as manager. He later became storehouse manager at Welfare Square, where he continued serving until 1962. He died in December 1971.

The Fifth Ward's garden was shared with other wards and subsequently became part of the stake welfare plan. It continued as a successful stake garden project for several years, producing abundant crops and work opportunities.

The Pioneer Stake welfare plan not only helped meet the temporal needs of the people, but also helped meet spiritual and recreational needs. Stake members worked side by side in the garden and on other work projects, fostering bonds of brotherhood and unifying members in humble gratitude. And they had an interchangeable system of budget cards, which allowed members of one ward to attend the dances and activities in all other wards and the stake as they donated time and materials to the welfare effort.

As Christmas drew near in 1932, it became apparent to leaders throughout the Pioneer Stake that the children "were looking forward to the coming events with great anticipation and wonderment," said Bishop Drury in a written account of that time period. "The stake presidency, bishops and Relief Society workers, were becoming anxious about the economic situation, knowing that something would have to be done if there was to be any kind of a Christmas that year. So they set up a program of projects to make this possible."

A carpentry shop was set up on the third floor of the storehouse, with a sewing department below. Drives were made throughout the stake for old toys. Unemployed carpenters and cabinet makers volunteered their services to make toys; unemployed painters would paint them; and the sisters would sew new clothing.

"This was a joyful time for all of us," Bishop Drury noted. "Everyone entered into the joy of making this a Christmas that would never be forgotten by any of us. I recall how the workers would gather around the old pot-bellied stove to sing the Christmas carols and to talk about the coming holidays and our wonderful plans for a beautiful Christmas. They were indeed days that would never be forgotten. The happiness of these people and the joy that filled our hearts cannot be described. We had no money to buy new toys or candy and nuts or oranges. But we had hope, and we had faith."

A last-minute donation of $400 to the stake from the City Commission was matched by Auerbach Co. department store, which then sold $800 worth of toys, clothes and other items to the stake at cost.

That donation, combined with the items built and sewed by the many volunteers in the stake, resulted in a "delightful" Christmas, according to the bishop.

"The spirit of Christmas was everywhere. The laughter and joy of the children and the happiness of the parents are of fond remembrance. A spirit of brotherly love was manifested throughout the stake, a sincere and beautiful spirit of worship and thanksgiving in every ward and home."

In September 1936, the Pioneer Stake welfare plan was incorporated into the General Church Welfare Plan (originally the Church Security System), which was begun April 6, 1936. The next summer, Bishop Drury was called as second counselor to new stake Pres. Paul C. Child when Pres. Lee assumed Church-wide responsibilities as managing director of the Welfare Plan. Jesse Drury continued faithfully serving as bishop until November 1937, when renovation of the Fifth Ward meetinghouse was completed. He continued to serve as storehouse manager and assisted Pres. Lee in implementing the Welfare program Churchwide, traveling throughout southern Utah and other areas to train priesthood leaders in welfare principles and programs.

Pres. Lee spoke of Jesse Drury's contribution to Church Welfare at a special March 17, 1959, meeting at Welfare Square:

"Jesse M. Drury was more than a storehouse manager. He was a father and a friend. . . .

"The Welfare Program is the Lord's way and this man, in whose honor we have met here tonight, has been with it all the way. With faith and with patience he has carried a load with understanding and faith that, I am sure, has been an inspiration to all. . . . In my book he is one of the gems God has delighted to honor with one of the choicest, most difficult, and yet one of the most sensitive callings, and who through obedience to our Heavenly Father's divine guidance, has gained a powerful testimony of the divinity of this work and of our Father's great program, by which the souls of men are prepared to return back into His presence."

Another who paid tribute to the welfare pioneer was Elder Glen L. Rudd of the Seventy and president of the Pacific Area, who served as coordinator at Welfare Square for 25 years. He spoke at a retirement ceremony for Bishop Drury on March 31, 1964:

"Jesse M. Drury has been our leader and adviser, our teacher and our strength. Each of us here this day assembled to pay him honor and respect is a better person, a more perfect Christian, more profitable in the work of the Master because of his great example of devotion and service."