For I was an hungred, and ye gave me meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me in:

"Naked and ye clothed me: I was sick, and ye visited me: I was in prison, and ye came unto me. . . .

"Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me." — Matt. 25:35-36, 40

Nearly 2,000 years after Jesus Christ uttered this divine declaration, a chartered cargo plane left Salt Lake City July 10, laden with humanitarian supplies for war-stricken Kosovo. The supplies arrived in Macedonia on July 11 and were loaded onto trucks to complete delivery to thousands affected by the war, including massive numbers of refugees returning to demolished or heavily damaged homes.

The nearly 90,000 pounds of humanitarian relief cargo included 25,000 hygiene kits assembled April 28 during the Women's Conference that was co-sponsored by the Relief Society and BYU, nearly 29,000 bars of soap and 25,000 tubes of toothpaste.

Another 50,000 hygiene kits will be assembled in England and Germany, and in Seattle, Dallas and Atlanta. Also in the shipment were kits that included blankets, diapers and other essential items for the care of new-born babies. In addition, 8,000 food boxes will be prepared in San Diego, Mesa and Denver, and at three locations in Utah. Earlier shipments of food, clothing and other supplies were sent by the Church to the war's refugees and other victims. Some shipments have gone by air, others by sea.

In addition, the Church is purchasing 25 tractors to be used by returning Kosovar refugees for farming and cleanup work.

These supplies and equipment are but a small portion of LDS humanitarian service provided without regard to race, religion or culture to destitute and needy people worldwide.

A great percentage of the food, clothing, medical supplies and other items dispatched by the Church to relieve suffering and bring hope to those in need is sent out from the Bishops' Central Storehouse in Salt Lake City. The storehouse functions in tandem with the nearby Latter-day Saint Humanitarian Center, located at 1665 S. Bennett Road (2030 West). The Church's system of bishops' storehouses, Deseret Industries stores, canneries, granaries, farms, dairies and other entities of the Church Welfare Services Department feed into and draw from the central storehouse and humanitarian center.

While planes, ships and trucks deliver supplies to scenes of wars, storms, earthquakes, famine, poverty and many other crises throughout the world, the element that drives the Church's humanitarian relief efforts is the individual whose contributions make possible those charitable acts. The individual might voluntarily contribute financially, donate items of clothing or other goods, or volunteer time and talent to create, assemble, sort, package or prepare items for distribution to those in need.

President Thomas S. Monson, first counselor in the First Presidency and chairman of the Welfare Executive Committee of the Church, has said that the Church takes "most seriously the admonition from the Lord" to care for those in need, in keeping with the spirit of the divine directive recorded in the 25th chapter of Matthew (quoted above).

President Monson said, "Each time we watch the news on television or pick up a newspaper, we learn of terrible human suffering as a result of tornadoes, floods, fires, drought, hurricanes, earthquakes or conflicts of war. I ask the question: 'Do we have a responsibility to do something about such suffering?' The answer is, 'Yes.' "

In speaking of the Church's humanitarian aid, which he said is a relatively new term for "help extended beyond the basic welfare program," he emphasized, "Hunger knows no ecclesiastical boundary."

To help as many people as possible, the Church often combines efforts with other churches and organizations to form a network to better serve those in need. "Striving together, we can feed children, we can provide hope, we can preserve life," he declared.

The Church strives to help people help themselves. But there are times when people cannot help themselves, when they have no means with which to provide food, clothing, shelter or obtain medical care or other essential items. War and natural disasters sometimes strip people of everything they own. In such cases, the Church moves quickly to help the helpless, providing that which is essential for survival or to bring to the suffering added degrees of comfort. Recognizing needs beyond essentials, humanitarian relief cargo often includes toys, books, paper, pencils, crayons and other items to comfort, console and cheer children.

Because of the advance preparations made through the humanitarian center and central storehouse, the Church, in most cases, is able to respond to an emergency or disaster within hours. Clothing, earlier sorted and baled, is ready for shipment to climates from the subtropics to the Arctic. Food has been processed, much in dry pack, and can be sent on short notice to practically any place in the world. Medical supplies are prepared for use in areas where, for one reason or another, clinics and hospitals — if they exist — might not have even the basics to care for the sick or injured.

Many who work and serve with humanitarian relief projects emphasize that timeliness is of the essence. "When a disaster occurs, the time for preparation is past," said A. Terry Oakes, chairman of the emergency response committee of the Church's Welfare Services Department.

Garry R. Flake, director of Humanitarian Service of Church Welfare Services, said, "As members contribute to humanitarian assistance, they help the Church prepare ahead so that when the moment of crisis comes, the emergency response team can move into action immediately."

Elder Joseph B. Wirthlin of the Quorum of the Twelve and chairman of the Church's humanitarian committee said that the Church does not limit its relief efforts to its members but follows the admonition of the Prophet Joseph Smith when he said, 'A man filled with the Love of God is not content with blessing his family alone, but ranges through the whole world, anxious to bless the whole human race." (History of the Church 4:227.)

Elder Wirthlin added," 'He [Joseph Smith] instructed members 'to feed the hungry, to clothe the naked, to provide for the widow, to dry up the tear of the orphan, [and] to comfort the afflicted.' (Times and Seasons, 15 March 1842, 732.)

"In a little over a decade," Elder Wirthlin continued, "the Church has shipped more than 27,000 tons of clothing, 16,000 tons of food, and 3,000 tons of medical and educational supplies and equipment to relieve the suffering of millions of God's children in 146 countries in many parts of the world. We do not ask, 'Are you members of our Church?' We ask only, 'Do you suffer?' "