Food For Kids Inc. Center'S Name Inventory Form 2010- 2011: Fill & Download for Free

This one makes my eyes roll so hard, but it is a criticism that comes up frequently, so it’s probably worth a serious answer.For context, it’s not just “a” mall, it’s this mall:From City Creek CenterThat massive complex in the bottom center, with the glass ceiling stripe, is the “mall” (it’s actually a mixed retail/residential development, which is important). The white skyscraper in the upper left center is the church office building, which is the administrative heart of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Below and to the left of that is the Salt Lake temple, the most iconic temple in the church. That’s the granite one that took forty years for the pioneers to build. Most addresses in Salt Lake Valley are a pair of numbers giving your location relative to that temple (the Olympic speed skating arena is at 5662 South, 4800 West, for example). It’s where the top leadership meets every Thursday, and it’s roughly the church’s equivalent to the Vatican.That temple’s grounds are Utah’s biggest tourist attraction. Every year, about five million people visit that square, where they are given live tours offered in over a dozen languages, by missionaries shipped in from all over the world. The annual visitor count is roughly twice the population of the entire state. Temple Square is the church’s home address, and while many of Temple Square’s visitors are members, enough are not that it is a major center of missionary work for the church.In short, Temple Square is the heart of Salt Lake City’s downtown, and less than a decade ago, that downtown was dying. The streets were dead in the evening, and an ever growing number of stores were boarded up. Some buildings were decaying from lack of maintenance. There were few places to eat, few things to do, and nothing happening outside of the walls around Temple Square. It was depressing, which meant ever less foot traffic, which contributed to a downward spiral for local businesses. Most activity was centered on The Gateway, a kind of mega-strip-mall half a mile to the west.Why did the church spend a bunch of money on urban development? Because this is our heartland. And the church wasn’t dumb about it; they didn’t lose that money. The stores in that mall pay rent, and the condos towering above sold for high prices. But most importantly, downtown now has places to eat, beautifully maintained bookstores and museums, and is constantly packed with people walking around. And because a lot of people live in those condos above the shops, it even has things like grocery stores, churches, and parks.Still, it’s fair to acknowledge that urban development is outside the usual purview of church finances, particularly since churches are financed by donations. So to start with, member donations were not used. I quote then-president Gordon B. Hinckley:We feel we have a compelling responsibility to protect the environment of the Salt Lake Temple. The Church owns most of the ground on which this mall stands. The owners of the buildings have expressed a desire to sell. The property needs very extensive and expensive renovation. We have felt it imperative to do something to revitalize this area. But I wish to give the entire Church the assurance that tithing funds have not and will not be used to acquire this property. Nor will they be used in developing it for commercial purposes.Funds for this have come and will come from those commercial entities owned by the Church. These resources, together with the earnings of invested reserve funds, will accommodate this program.Back when the Mormon pioneers first fled to Utah, the church functioned as a quasi-governmental organization. The city needed roads, bridges, warehouses, stores, and other infrastructure, and the church was the first, last, and only resort for capital and project management. This resulted in the church ending up with a substantial pile of real estate and business holdings. While much of it was later simplified and divested, that branch of the church never went away; it’s now a for-profit holding company blandly named Property Reserve, Inc. That’s the company that built the mall. This means:Yes, it pays taxes.This is how it was possible to fund the purchase without member donations. Property Reserve grew out of the complex arrangement that developed Utah in the nineteenth century.The mall is owned by a company whose job is to make money and serve as a conservatively-run real-estate holdings corporation. It is legally a separate entity with a very different mission and independent finances.They didn’t “spend” that two billion, they invested it. That means they intend to make back more than they spent. That’s how businesses work.Finally, to the question, could those funds have been spent to buy food for poor people? Perhaps, but that’s a bit reductive. The church provides a lot of food for poor people, but the hard part isn’t getting the food (which is fairly cheap), it’s finding those poor people, learning their names, and meeting their actual needs.Pixabay photo. A symbolic poor person, for whom we should perhaps buy food?Some people need food assistance, and that’s what the Bishop’s storehouse network is for. But based on what I’ve seen in my area, people are much more likely to need help with addiction recovery, employment training, mental health treatment, paying medical bills, housing assistance, and personal financial management. Some are in prison and need access to a chaplain, counseling, and education. Most of them would like a little more respect, someone to watch their kids while they’re at work, and someone to call in an emergency. Food is way down the list of most common needs.Criticizing the church by vaguely waving a hand in the direction of “but, but, but, food for poor people!” sounds an awful lot like you don’t spend very much time talking to poor people. You can’t just waltz into someone’s life, throw some money at their problems, and assume everything will just work out. That’s not how it works, and “lack of funds because that money was used to build a mall” is not the real cause of the problem.

Visit the established attractions in downtown:The Grace Museum - A great "big country" local history museum, with some science and art exhibits that are great for kids.Frontier Texas - This is a more polished show-type history museum, with holograms and 360-degree theater.Visit the Abilene ZooVisit the many coffee shops around town with friends, like Monks Coffee ShopHave a picnic on campus, or Attended the excellent theater productions, art exhibits, libraries-cafe's , open lectureship seminars, and sports events on any of the local college campuses there is always at ton going on:Abilene Christian UniversityHardin-Simmons UniversityMcMurry UniversityAttend any number of events (fairs, rodeos, expos, plays, concerts, choirs, orchestras, musicals) at the:Expo Center of Taylor Countyor Abilene Civic CenterThe fairs and rodeos, particularly to the locals are a big deal.Go two-step dancing on Friday night at the Grand Ole Oplin nearby Oplin, Tx (bring a date and a smile :) This is has been popular out-of-town college kids.And for food:La Popular (various locations) - for the best breakfast tacos.Mary's Paleteria Inc - awesome for a mid-day or summertime treat, try the strawberries and cream or watermelon aguas frescas.Cyprus Street Station - nice restaurant downtown for special occasions.Drive-In Movies! Page on towncountrydrivein.comThere is a lot more, but these are my favorites.PS:I used to recommend Harold's BBQ, however Harold has passed on, He will be missed. If a BBQ shop opens carrying on Harold’s legacy Q-Basket, and signature sauce recipe someone let me know.