SALT LAKE CITY — The First Presidency of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints toured the church’s newly completed Humanitarian Center on Friday, previewing the facility ahead of its official dedication later this week.
Located at 1999 W. 1700 South in Salt Lake City, the expansive center is a key component of the church’s global mission to fulfill the biblical mandate to love one’s neighbor. The First Presidency’s walk-through on May 22 underscored the facility’s ongoing importance to local and international relief efforts.
Originally established in 1991, the Humanitarian Center operates with a dual purpose: fostering individual self-reliance locally and caring for vulnerable populations globally. The new facility will continue this legacy, offering job training, English language courses and professional employment counseling for people actively working to overcome barriers to entering the workforce.
Simultaneously, the center serves as a crucial logistical hub. Workers and volunteers use the space to prepare, package and distribute essential emergency and humanitarian supplies to support people in need worldwide.
President Dallin H. Oaks, first counselor in the First Presidency, emphasized the center’s impact following Friday’s tour.
“This facility will serve an important role in preparing and distributing emergency supplies to meet global needs,” Oaks said in a social media post. “I express appreciation for members of the Church and for all who minister in quiet and consistent ways. I testify of Jesus Christ, whose light and Spirit guide the children of God in caring for the poor and the distressed throughout the world.”
The church’s Presiding Bishopric will formally dedicate the Humanitarian Center during a private evening event on Wednesday, May 27.
Following the dedication, the community is invited to walk through the facility. A public open house begins Monday, June 1, and runs through July 23. Operating hours for the open house will be 10 a.m. to 7 p.m., Monday through Friday.