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Bishop W. Christopher Waddell of the Presiding Bishopric and Sister Sharon Eubank, president of Latter-day Saint Charities and member of the Relief Society general presidency met Monday with the head of the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) and additional staff in Salt Lake City.
“We’re very grateful because they’re one of our largest partners of nongovernmental partners,” David Beasley, executive director of the WFP, said in an interview on Temple Square. “We work together in many countries. We’ve talked about many other countries and many of the opportunities of how we can end hunger around the world.”
WFP estimates that there are 821 million people going to bed on empty stomachs each night, and one in three people around the world suffers from some form of malnutrition. With such staggering statistics, Bishop Waddell sees how the partnership the Church has with WFP is vital to reaching as many people as possible.
“By working with an organization like World Food Programme, which is just a phenomenal organization, what we can provide … reaches out farther than it would otherwise without someone like them,” said Bishop Waddell. “We’re grateful for the help that they provide.”
“They have a presence in places where we have no members of the Church, in places like Yemen, Somalia—places that are conflict-ridden,” remarked Sister Eubank, who oversees the Church’s global humanitarian efforts. “The partnership is 5 or 6 years old, and it’s one of our most significant partners.”
Together, the humanitarian leaders toured the Church’s Welfare Square and the Bishops’ Central Storehouse, where the Church produces food and other commodities to send to those in need around the world. With these resources and other programs, the Church and Latter-day Saint Charities has aided millions of people in 195 countries.
