From the Church

Here are some of the Church’s widest-reaching welfare and self-reliance programs you may have never heard of

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Intellectual Reserve, Inc.

In April 1936, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints formally organized a welfare program to help Church members affected by the Great Depression. Today, that welfare program has expanded to all corners of the globe and assists members and people of all faiths or no faith at all. And as stated by the Church, “The welfare program … is not only a way to help members in temporarily difficult circumstances, but it also stresses self-reliance as a way of life, including education, health, employment, family home production and storage, family finances, and spiritual strength.”

Today, the Church’s Welfare and Self-Reliance Services include Family Services, Employment Services, the Humanitarian Center, Deseret Industries, and bishops’ storehouses.

The Church has also increased its emphasis on emotional self-reliance with the “Emotional Resilience” self-reliance course and manual, now available in 15 languages.

► You may also like: Church responds to members’ mental health challenges with new self-reliance materials

Here are just a few by-the-numbers graphics from Church News on some of the Church Welfare and Self-Reliance initiatives.

To find more information and numbers about the Church’s Family Services and Church service missionaries, visit Church News.

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