President Monson Receives Humanitarian Award

President Thomas S. Monson, First Counselor in the First Presidency, received a Globous Award from the Humanitarian Resource Center of North America for promoting humanitarian service.

The center, based in Salt Lake City, is a public charity that supports humanitarian service worldwide.

In accepting the award on 9 March, President Monson shared experiences in which he and the Church were involved in humanitarian service.

For example, when the Salvation Army’s Salt Lake branch needed new headquarters, the Church was considering selling a surplus meetinghouse to them. But knowing that the organization was stretching its funds in helping the poor, President Monson proposed not to sell the building to the Salvation Army, but to donate it instead. “In addition, the roof of the building was replaced and the outside trim painted as a gift from the Church. Surplus furniture, dishes, and utensils from the former Hotel Utah, which had recently closed, were also provided by the Church as a contribution, that meals could be served to those who would otherwise go hungry.”