Newcomers to Utah Valley run into the Church's welfare system before they know its name. A neighbor mentions "the storehouse." A thrift store on State Street turns out to be a job training center. A ward member says the bishop helped with rent. The pieces belong to one system, run by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and it works differently from a food bank or a government program.
This guide explains how it works, where the pieces are near Provo, and what a newcomer, member or not, can expect. If you need food today and do not want to go through a church, our guide to food help in Utah County lists the public and nonprofit options, including SNAP, WIC and the county's pantries.
The idea underneath it
The Church's welfare summary, Providing in the Lord's Way, lays out an order of responsibility. "Self-reliance is the ability, commitment, and effort to provide the necessities of life for self and family." When that is not enough, family helps first, and the Church helps after that.
Three principles follow, in the summary's words:
- The bishop decides. "The bishop determines whom to assist, how much to give, and how long to assist." His goal "is to help members help themselves and become self-reliant."
- Work in return. "Bishops ask those who receive assistance to work to the extent of their ability for what they receive."
- Fast offerings pay for it. "Fast offerings are used exclusively to meet welfare needs."
That is why the system routes almost everything through a person rather than a sign-up form. The bishop of the local ward is the gate, and the storehouse, DI and employment services are tools he can use.
Fast offerings: where the money comes from
On one Sabbath day each month, Latter-day Saints fast for two consecutive meals and give a fast offering at least equal to what those meals would have cost, more if they can. The offering goes to the bishopric, and the bishop uses it to help people in need. The bishops' storehouse is stocked with commodities funded by tithing and fast offerings, according to the Church.
For a newcomer in a Utah Valley ward, this explains two things you will notice: the monthly "fast Sunday," when members share brief testimonies in sacrament meeting, and the donation slip with a line for fast offerings. Our explainer on how wards work covers the Sunday schedule.
The bishops' storehouse
What it is. A storehouse looks like a small grocery store, with canned goods, condiments, cooking products, fresh produce, milk, meat and pasta, plus personal hygiene and household cleaning supplies, according to the Church's storehouse page. There are no prices. Goods are obtained with a bishop's referral.
How you get help. You meet with the bishop of the ward where you live. If you do not know which ward that is, the Church's Meetinghouse Locator will tell you from your address; our guide to finding your ward explains how. The bishop assesses your needs and, if he decides to help with food, issues the referral you take to the storehouse.
If you are not a member. The Church's storehouse page says "anyone in need, whether a member of the Church or not," can receive goods with a bishop's referral. The older Providing in the Lord's Way summary is more restrictive, describing help going mainly to ward members and saying that "on rare occasions" a bishop may assist people who are not members. Both point to the same practical step: talk to the bishop of the ward where you live, and expect that he may also connect you with community resources.
Where they are. No storehouse appears in Provo or Orem in Google's listings. Those nearest, as listed in October 2026:
| Storehouse | Address | Hours listed (Oct. 2026) |
|---|---|---|
| Lindon (with Home Storage Center) | 940 West Center Street | Mon and Wed 10 a.m.–4:30 p.m.; Tue and Thu 10 a.m.–6:30 p.m.; Sat 9 a.m.–noon |
| Springville | 1672 West 700 South | Mon, Tue, Thu noon–4 p.m.; Wed noon–6 p.m. |
| Saratoga Springs | 142 West Medical Drive, Suite 1 | Tue and Thu 10 a.m.–6 p.m.; Sat 10 a.m.–2 p.m. |
The referral will tell you which one to use. Hours change, so confirm before you go.
Not to be confused with the home storage center. The Lindon building, and the Saratoga Springs address, also house a home storage center, which sells long-term food storage staples to anyone, member or not. That is a store; the storehouse is not. Our food storage and emergency prep guide covers the home storage side.
Volunteering. The storehouse page says volunteers restock shelves, unload produce and organize items, and directs people to "contact your local leaders for opportunities to serve." Our guide to food bank volunteering covers the wider volunteer options in the valley.
Deseret Industries: the thrift store that is a training program
Most newcomers meet DI as a store. Provo's is at 1415 North State Street, listed by Google in October 2026 as open Monday 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Tuesday through Saturday 9 a.m. to 7 p.m., closed Sunday. It is one of 46 DI stores in the United States, according to the Church's 2025 welfare summary.
What the store is for is job training. DI's own donation page calls donations "a core element" of its training program, in which associates sort, evaluate, price and stock what comes in. The Church reported 10,653 associates enrolled in DI job training in 2025.
Who trains there. DI's page for Church leaders describes the people it is built for: those who have struggled in previous jobs or lack confidence, who need work skills, education, vocational training or English, who are returning to work, preparing for or returning from a mission, or changing careers. "A bishop's referral is required for everyone employed at DI." Operational supervisors act as job coaches, and development counselors help with career goals. DI lists on-site certifications in cashiering, forklift operation and supervision, and off-site options including CDL truck driving, HVAC repair, pharmacy technician and computer programming.
How long. A 2021 Church news release said most associates train for roughly a year before moving into other jobs, with some staying up to three years, and that associates are paid while they learn.
Donating. DI takes most household goods at its drive-thru with no appointment, during donation hours. It does not accept beds, mattresses and foundations, large appliances, pianos and organs, food, medications, chemicals and paint, broken items, tires, some old electronics, vehicles, or firearms and ammunition. Unsold goods are recycled; DI says it recycled 78,927,415 pounds of goods in 2024, and some excess donations go to other stores, partners or humanitarian efforts. Our thrift and vintage guide puts DI alongside the valley's other secondhand stores, and leaving Provo well covers donating on move-out week.
Employment services
A short walk from the Provo DI, Latter-day Saint Employment Services has an office at 702 West Columbia Lane, listed by Google in October 2026 as open Monday through Thursday, 10:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. DI's leader page describes Employment Services as offering job search coaching, workshops and job search groups. The Church reported that Employment Services helped 7,825 people secure jobs in 2025.
For free public job help as well, see our register of no-cost job resources in Utah Valley.
Welfare Square, the one to see
Welfare Square, west of downtown Salt Lake City, is where the whole system is visible in one place. Temple Square's tour page lists free tours of about an hour, Monday through Friday, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., closed weekends, and describes them as child- and ADA-friendly. The tour covers:
- A working cannery, bakery and dairy, which produce goods for storehouses.
- A bishops' storehouse.
- An employment center.
- A Deseret Industries store.
The Church's newsroom also describes grain silos at the site and says Church welfare facilities rely on "hundreds of thousands of days of labor" donated each year, by volunteers who need no training beforehand. The tour line is 801-353-3355.
From Provo, Welfare Square pairs naturally with a day in Salt Lake City; our Salt Lake City day trip guide covers getting there by FrontRunner, and the Temple Square visitors' guide covers the rest of the Church sites downtown. Google's listing gives a different address and longer hours than the tour page, so call before planning around a weekend visit.
How it fits together, for a newcomer
- If you are a member who needs help: talk to your bishop, or to your Relief Society or elders quorum president, who can bring the need to him. Help may include food from the storehouse, fast-offering help with a bill, a DI referral or Employment Services, alongside a plan toward self-reliance.
- If you are not a member and need help: you can ask the bishop of the ward where you live; the Church's storehouse page says help is available to anyone in need with his referral. Public options are in our food help guide.
- If you want to give: donate to DI, give a fast offering through a ward, or volunteer through local leaders.
- If you want to understand it: take the Welfare Square tour.
Our faith communities guide covers the wider religious landscape of the valley, beyond the Latter-day Saint wards.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can anyone shop at the bishops' storehouse?
Do you have to be a member of the Church to get help from a bishop?
Where is the bishops' storehouse near Provo?
What is Deseret Industries?
Where is Deseret Industries in Provo?
Can I tour Welfare Square?
Where does the money for the welfare system come from?
Can non-members volunteer at a bishops' storehouse?
Sources
The facts in this guide were checked against these sources. Hours, fees and rules change, so confirm anything time-sensitive with the source before you go. How we make Provo.com.
- Bishops' Storehouse, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Checked October 20, 2026.
- Providing in the Lord's Way (summary), The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Checked October 20, 2026.
- Fasting and Fast Offerings (Gospel Topics), The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Checked October 20, 2026.
- Caring for those in need: 2025 annual summary (employment), The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Checked October 20, 2026.
- Deseret Industries: Donate, Deseret Industries. Checked October 20, 2026.
- How Deseret Industries Helps Leaders Care for Those in Need, Deseret Industries. Checked October 20, 2026.
- Building people through job training (Dec. 21, 2021), The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints Newsroom. Checked October 20, 2026.
- Welfare Square Tour, Temple Square. Checked October 20, 2026.
- Welfare Square: place of hope for the needy, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints Newsroom. Checked October 20, 2026.
- Google Places listings: bishops' storehouses (Lindon, Springville, Saratoga Springs), Deseret Industries Provo, Employment Services Provo, Welfare Square (Oct. 2026), Google Places. Checked October 20, 2026.
