Deseret Industries
Encyclopedia
Deseret Industries is a non-profit organization
and a division of the Welfare Services of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. It includes a chain of retail thrift stores and work projects operated by the program. Deseret Industries thrift stores are similar to the well-known Goodwill Industries
. They are generally located in areas where LDS Church membership is strong, such as in Utah and Idaho; there are a total of 46 stores in Arizona
, California
, Idaho
, Nevada
, Oregon
, Utah
, and Washington. As with all other thrift stores, people donate items they no longer have use for (such as furniture, appliances, computers and clothing). In addition to donations, Deseret Industries also sells new furniture, much of it received from its manufacturing plant in Salt Lake City
. Deseret Industries provides job skill training for the physically, emotionally and socially challenged and places them into private sector employment. In 1989 over 700 people were placed in private jobs.
Deseret Industries provides work training and rehabilitation opportunities for people referred by a bishop of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Because employment at Deseret Industries is considered rehabilitative training rather than a career, employment typically does not last longer than 12 months.
Membership in the LDS church is not required for training at Deseret Industries. However, the local Bishop must sign an endorsement for training.
In addition to trainees, there are full time staff with titles including Store Manager, Retail Processing Coordinator, Job Coach Trainer, and Development Specialist.
Trainees of Deseret Industries do not receive benefits such as retirement, medical coverage, vacation, or sick leave (except for the above-mentioned full-time professional staff). Deseret Industries notes that this is the case because its goal is to prepare them for the workplace and encourage them to work in the community.
In order to work for Deseret Industries, the local LDS bishop of the area of the applicant's residence must sign an endorsement.
Non-profit organization
Nonprofit organization is neither a legal nor technical definition but generally refers to an organization that uses surplus revenues to achieve its goals, rather than distributing them as profit or dividends...
and a division of the Welfare Services of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. It includes a chain of retail thrift stores and work projects operated by the program. Deseret Industries thrift stores are similar to the well-known Goodwill Industries
Goodwill Industries
Goodwill Industries International is a not-for-profit organization that provides job training, employment placement services and other community-based programs for people who have a disability, lack education or job experience, or face employment challenges...
. They are generally located in areas where LDS Church membership is strong, such as in Utah and Idaho; there are a total of 46 stores in Arizona
Arizona
Arizona ; is a state located in the southwestern region of the United States. It is also part of the western United States and the mountain west. The capital and largest city is Phoenix...
, California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
, Idaho
Idaho
Idaho is a state in the Rocky Mountain area of the United States. The state's largest city and capital is Boise. Residents are called "Idahoans". Idaho was admitted to the Union on July 3, 1890, as the 43rd state....
, Nevada
Nevada
Nevada is a state in the western, mountain west, and southwestern regions of the United States. With an area of and a population of about 2.7 million, it is the 7th-largest and 35th-most populous state. Over two-thirds of Nevada's people live in the Las Vegas metropolitan area, which contains its...
, Oregon
Oregon
Oregon is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is located on the Pacific coast, with Washington to the north, California to the south, Nevada on the southeast and Idaho to the east. The Columbia and Snake rivers delineate much of Oregon's northern and eastern...
, Utah
Utah
Utah is a state in the Western United States. It was the 45th state to join the Union, on January 4, 1896. Approximately 80% of Utah's 2,763,885 people live along the Wasatch Front, centering on Salt Lake City. This leaves vast expanses of the state nearly uninhabited, making the population the...
, and Washington. As with all other thrift stores, people donate items they no longer have use for (such as furniture, appliances, computers and clothing). In addition to donations, Deseret Industries also sells new furniture, much of it received from its manufacturing plant in Salt Lake City
Salt Lake City, Utah
Salt Lake City is the capital and the most populous city of the U.S. state of Utah. The name of the city is often shortened to Salt Lake or SLC. With a population of 186,440 as of the 2010 Census, the city lies in the Salt Lake City metropolitan area, which has a total population of 1,124,197...
. Deseret Industries provides job skill training for the physically, emotionally and socially challenged and places them into private sector employment. In 1989 over 700 people were placed in private jobs.
Deseret's outreach
Since it is a welfare entity, Deseret Industries provides useful goods at low cost to the public, and also provides clothing and other items for humanitarian efforts throughout the world. Some of the donated goods are given to people in the community upon recommendation of the local bishop, in the event of a disaster such as a fire or flood. The revenue generated through sales of donations is used to support other LDS Church Welfare Services organizations and programs throughout the world.Deseret Industries provides work training and rehabilitation opportunities for people referred by a bishop of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Because employment at Deseret Industries is considered rehabilitative training rather than a career, employment typically does not last longer than 12 months.
Membership in the LDS church is not required for training at Deseret Industries. However, the local Bishop must sign an endorsement for training.
Training the individuals with disabilities and elderly
Deseret Industries provides an opportunity to learn new skills, earn money to help support the employee and his or her family, and receive help finding a suitable job when ready. Those in training are called associates. Some associates have disabilities or elderly, making it difficult to get jobs at other places. The goal of Deseret Industries, as noted by their slogan People Helping People Help Themselves, is to encourage trainees to be self-reliant and become employable in the job market with goals to leave training and enter the job market.In addition to trainees, there are full time staff with titles including Store Manager, Retail Processing Coordinator, Job Coach Trainer, and Development Specialist.
Trainees of Deseret Industries do not receive benefits such as retirement, medical coverage, vacation, or sick leave (except for the above-mentioned full-time professional staff). Deseret Industries notes that this is the case because its goal is to prepare them for the workplace and encourage them to work in the community.
In order to work for Deseret Industries, the local LDS bishop of the area of the applicant's residence must sign an endorsement.
In popular culture
- In the film Napoleon DynamiteNapoleon DynamiteNapoleon Dynamite is a 2004 comedy film co-written and directed by Jared Hess and Jerusha Hess and stars Jon Heder as Napoleon Dynamite. The film was Jared Hess' first full-length feature and is partially adapted from his earlier short film, Peluca....
, Napoleon buys his suit at a Deseret Industries store in Preston, IdahoPreston, IdahoPreston is a city in Franklin County, Idaho, United States. The population was 4,682 at the 2000 census. The city is the county seat of Franklin County. It is part of the Logan, Utah-Idaho Metropolitan Statistical Area.-History:...
, where Napoleon lives.
External links
- Information about Deseret Industries at LDS website
- Article on Deseret Industries (Light Planet)