New Church Humanitarian Center opens

A new global Humanitarian Center of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints opens its doors on June 1.

The new building, located at 1999 W. 1700 South in Salt Lake City, is just across the street from its previous building. The new space allows for larger classrooms, English classes and a more updated and sophisticated feel.

Randy Foote, the operations manager of the new building, spoke about the impact he has seen while serving at the center.

"The way I look at life if theres a chance that things get a little difficult, its not hard to look at the associates and realize that I dont have much to complain about. To see Gods hand in their lives is really impressive, Foote said.

Associates of the program are given the opportunity to learn skills to prepare them for life outside of the center. They take shifts, being paid to learn English for part of the day and also to gain specific skills. The center houses a cafeteria, where associates can gain their food preparation licenses, a packaging floor where donated clothing is packaged into 100-pound packages, and a maintenance team keeps the whole building running.

A typical associate works for the humanitarian center for a period of one year to eighteen months, depending on their circumstances.

Thats a good enough time that they can have a basic understanding of the English language behind them and have developed not only the training that they need for those other skills but in many cases, if their English grows to a capacity that we can also invest in them and in their futures, we have other outside programs that we can teach and train, like a CNA or a CNL license or anything else that can help, Foote said.

The original humanitarian center was established in 1991 and has two main missions. First, to provide job training for displaced persons, along with others who seek employment skills. Second, to prepare supplies and donations for those in need all over the world.

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is known for its charitable work in many parts of the world. A video presentation inside the center features a woman who lost her home in a hurricane and the efforts of volunteers to clean up their town.

According to the 2025 Humanitarian Report from the Church, over 1.58 billion dollars and 7.4 million volunteer hours have been provided in humanitarian projects.

Troy Casper, the manager of the humanitarian center, spoke about the blessings provided not only to the associates of the programs, but also to those affected by the humanitarian efforts provided by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

We have the world that comes to our doors to learn work skills and English, but we also have the opportunity to send humanitarian aid throughout the world as well, Casper said.

The building will be dedicated by the Presiding Bishopric of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Following the dedication, the center will be open for tours.