Cindy McCain, executive director of the United Nations World Food Programme, visited Salt Lake City on Friday, Jan. 30, to tour the humanitarian efforts of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
The Church and the World Food Programme have joined in efforts to feed those in need since 2014.
“We deeply value our longstanding collaboration with The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints,” McCain said.
She said that for 12 years the World Food Programme and the Church have worked together to assist millions of people facing hunger and hardships in 49 countries.
“The Church’s generosity has not only saved lives; it has also helped families build the skills, resources and resilience they need to find new hope and opportunity,” McCain said.
She also thanked Church leaders for their continued support, according to a news release on ChurchofJesusChrist.org.
“We look forward to continuing this vital work, side by side, bringing hope, opportunity and nourishment to communities around the world. Together, we will continue our shared mission to save lives and change lives.”
McCain toured both Welfare Square and the Bishops’ Central Storehouse along with Barron Segar, president and CEO of World Food Program USA, and Lena Savelli, World Food Programme Latin America and Caribbean regional director.
Segar said, “The number of lives that have been reached through this collaboration is truly phenomenal.”
He added: “Six million lives. Six million human beings around this earth — our neighbors — have been impacted by the collaboration with The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and the World Food Programme. And we’ve done it in 49 different countries.”
According to the World Food Programme, 318 million people worldwide face crisis levels of hunger.
After touring Welfare Square and the Bishops’ Central Storehouse, the group had lunch with the Presiding Bishopric and the Relief Society general presidency.
Presiding Bishop W. Christopher Waddell said, “We are grateful to serve alongside the World Food Programme in caring for God’s children and to follow His example of love and service.”
He added, “This collaboration reflects a shared commitment to support the most vulnerable and strengthen both individuals and families around the world.”
Relief Society General President Camille N. Johnson praised the World Food Programme’s global efforts to bring relief and light to those in need.
“Around the world, hunger affects mothers, children and families in deeply personal ways,” President Johnson said. “We are inspired by the World Food Programme’s dedication to strengthening families and communities, and we are grateful to collaborate with them in this work of compassion, dignity and hope.”
Blaine Maxfield, managing director of the Church’s Welfare and Self-Reliance Services, said the collaboration is effective because of a “shared focus on both immediate relief and lasting self‑reliance.”
“Whether through emergency food assistance or school meals that help children learn and thrive, our work with the World Food Programme is about helping people move forward with confidence and opportunity,” Maxfield said.
12 years of working together
Elder Gérald Caussé of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles met with McCain in Rome, Italy, in April 2025 while he was presiding bishop of the Church.
The visit included a tour of the World Food Programme headquarters and briefings on current emergencies, including hearing directly from World Food Programme country representatives in Chad, Ukraine and Sudan. The goal of the briefing was to better understand the challenges faced in these parts of the world and the impact of the work being done.
The Church celebrated 10 years of collaboration with both the United Nations World Food Programme and the World Food Program USA in February 2024 with a service project.
That project involved over 150 young single adults from the Salt Lake City area who worked diligently to assemble and package 900 boxes of food at the Bishops’ Central Storehouse.
In 2024, the Church donated an $8 million grant for the World Food Programme’s homegrown school meals program in Haiti. The initiative — a collaboration between the Church, WFP and World Food Program USA — will provide critical nutrition to children in vulnerable areas.
The Church gave $32 million to the World Food Programme to help provide food and critical assistance to 1.6 million people in nine countries in September 2022.
