Attacking Poverty

Luís Wajchman, president of the Maipú de Cuyo Argentina Stake, worried about the poor under his stewardship. To fight hunger, he instituted a year-round stake garden cared for primarily by members who would not benefit directly from their labors. His philosophy was “We teach people to sow that others may harvest.” Because the garden was too small to justify machinery, the volunteers used a hand plow pulled by a borrowed horse. Miraculously, birds that consumed seed on the neighboring farms rarely visited the garden. The harvest was triple their expectations.

Growing vegetables was just the first step. Wajchman encouraged small classes on health, which taught the economic benefits of eating more vegetables and how to prepare meals using unfamiliar vegetables. During one class, he gave class members pumpkins and asked, “What can you do with this?” The sisters responded by testing recipes.

Wajchman also initiated projects to provide chicken and rabbit meat, helped members learn to make their own clothing, taught literacy courses, and assisted members in finding employment. In 1998 Wajchman reported, “We still have many poor among us—but they are no longer destitute.”