Workers in the American Mosaic

Today I volunteered at Deseret Industries here in Provo. Deseret Industries is a branch of the LDS Humanitarian Services. The well-known aspect of Deseret Industries mission is collecting goods for poor people throughout the world. The lesser known, but just as impactful side of Deseret Industries’ operation is the people it hires. Instead of looking for employees who will produce a lot and add to their bottom line, Deseret Industries hires people who can’t get much of a job anywhere else. This often includes people with mental handicaps, social difficulties, and recent immigrants who need help assimilating into American life. Deseret Industries hires these people not because it wants growth for itself, but because it wants these people to be able to grow for themselves. The employees I worked alongside today gave me a unique view at how D. I. is able to do this.

An example is Josias, a recent immigrant from Peru. He has lived in the United States for just ten months. He doesn’t speak English, but he told me he is learning. I could see the evidence of that. He can ask donors what goods they want taken, whether they want a receipt and can even tell a green volunteer like me where to stack old television sets. I could tell that Josias had a long way to go to become integrated into the United States, but I could see that Deseret Industries would help him to make it happen.

I went to D. I. expecting to be put to work, and I was. But what I didn’t expect was the training I received in helping people become thriving members of the cultural mosaic we call America.