GET STARTED AT WELFARESERVICES.CHURCHOFJESUSCHRIST.ORG
Welcome to the Welfare Resources website. The online ordering system available on this website allows Church leaders and other authorized preparers to place orders for food and clothing/household items online. There are four parts to this process: initiate, prepare, approve, and fulfill. This guide will walk you through each step in the process.
* Note: In this document, “ward” also refers to a branch; “bishop,” “stake president,” and references to their counselors also refer to branch and district presidents and their counselors.
1. ACCESS THE SYSTEM
In order to access the system, you must:
- Have a Church Account that is associated with your membership number. If you don’t have one, visit account.ChurchofJesusChrist.org.
- Be designated in MLS as a bishop, a Relief Society president, a counselor in the bishopric, a ward or stake clerk, or a member of a stake presidency. Other ward members may also receive access by being designated as order preparers by their bishop.
When you have a Church Account and you are designated as a ward leader or preparer, you may log in to the system in one of two ways:
- Navigate to the system through Leader and Clerk Resources. When you are signed in to this page, select “Bishop’s Orders and Referrals” from Welfare Resources. If your calling automatically grants you access to the system, this option will be available to you.
- Access the website directly by going to WelfareServices.ChurchofJesusChrist.org. This option is available to all ward leaders and authorized preparers.
2. SET NOTIFICATION PREFERENCES
The first time you sign in to the Welfare Resources website, navigate to the “Settings” tab and set your notification preferences. The system will text or email you when orders need your attention using the contact information you provide here. Choose your preferred method(s) of communication by entering your phone number and/or email address. Be sure to check the appropriate boxes, and then press the Save Settings button to enable your notifications.
3. VIEW ORDERS IN PROCESS
The Orders tab shows all the orders in process for your ward. Orders are grouped by status. You can search, sort, view, and edit orders using this tab. The “Orders in Process” section lists orders that have been initiated but not yet filled. Click an order to see its details.
4. INITIATE AN ORDER
Initiate a food order or clothing/household items order by clicking the “+ Food Order” or “+Clothing/Household Order” button in the upper-right section of the page. (Most units have access to the “+ Food Order” button. Some also have access to the “+ Clothing/ Household Order” button, depending on which Welfare facilities are available in the area.)
Enter the required recipient’s information. If you are going to assign someone else to prepare the order, select a preparer from the list. If the preparer has specified their notification preferences, these will automatically appear in the notifications field. If not, you must input this information.
When all information is correctly entered, choose “Assign to preparer.” The preparer will receive a notification (if notifications are enabled) with instructions for accessing the form. Alternatively, the person initiating the order may also be the preparer.
You may print a copy of the order at any time after the “recipient” and “# in household” fields are complete. Choose “Print” to save the order as a PDF, then print the PDF.
5. PREPARE AN ORDER
If you assign someone else to prepare the order, they will complete this step. If you are acting as the preparer, you must do the following:
Visit with the recipient to evaluate their resources. Choose which items to include in the order. If you do not have a mobile device to take with you, or if the recipient doesn’t have Internet access in the home, you can use a printed copy of the initiated order as a worksheet and enter the information online later.
Most food orders can be picked up at any bishops’ storehouse, and clothing/household orders can be picked up at any Deseret Industries store. In some cases, a dropdown menu with options for alternative pickup locations will be available for selection.
After you finish preparing the order, click “Submit for Approval.” The bishop will receive a notification (if he has chosen to receive notifications) to review the order.
If you are a bishop, you may choose “Approve” from this screen.
6. APPROVE AN ORDER
The bishop receives a notification (if he has chosen to receive notifications) that an order is ready for review and approval. He can open the order in a browser using the link in the notification or by navigating to the “Orders” tab on the Welfare Resources website.
If you are the bishop, review the order and make any necessary changes. To approve the order, click the “Approve” button at the bottom of the page. If you have concerns with an order, work with the preparer to resolve them before approving.
If the bishop is unavailable, one of his counselors may approve the order. Counselors must be contacted if they need to approve an order since they do not receive notifications. The bishop must later review and approve these orders in a timely manner, even if they’ve already been filled. These orders will be shown in the “Orders for Review” list in the Orders tab.
When the order is approved, its status will change to “Ready to be filled,” and the preparer and recipient will both be notified according to the notification preferences specified on the order. The recipient or an authorized representative should pick up the order from a bishops’ storehouse, Deseret Industries store, or other designated pickup location.
GETTING HELP
Use the question mark icons for answers to common questions. Website help is also available through the Help link in the gray menu bar at the top of each page. If you can’t find a solution to your problem using these resources, please email WelfareServicesSupport@ChurchofJesusChrist.org or call the Welfare Help Line at 1-855-537-4357.