Our Story
Our story began with a picture …
. . . a picture of a small Ecuadorian boy in the pediatric ICU being fed only banana water.
“Why is he there?” we asked.
“We ran out of money for formula,” his father replied.
We never got to meet this boy since he passed away soon after. But at that moment something shifted; something needed to be done, no matter the obstacles.
Organizing Bountiful Children …
Success is not possible without taking risks. Over the next eight years, many attempts were made to start what is now the Bountiful Children’s Foundation. From these years of building, it became clear how the organization should be run; it must be led by local trusted leaders from the community itself, include the purchase of local nutrition supplements, teach meaningful health lessons, and follow up with children’s growth monitoring to ensure progress. These principles are the foundation of Bountiful Children. Linked by their common faith as members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, our board formed in 2008 to develop a method that meets the needs of children based on the best scientific and medical information for addressing malnutrition. Bountiful Children is not officially affiliated with the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, but aligns with its mission of caring for the poor and needy.
Now a global movement
Bountiful Children’s Foundation is now a global movement to end malnutrition, composed of more than 400 volunteers in 20 countries. Our country coordinators are passionate, trusted, and impactful leaders. They are committed to the children they work with; teaching monthly health lessons, working with parents, and advocating for a world without undernutrition. Thousands of malnourished children have improved, through generous contributions and acts both large and small.
Bountiful will continue to work tirelessly to overcome the obstacles that stand between the realities of today and a world where every child can reach their full potential through proper nutrition.
Bountiful Children’s Story Around the Web
2023
Hunger Banquet raises money for malnourished children in the Philippines
“BYU’s Fight Malnutrition Club and Bountiful Children’s Foundation hosted a Hunger Banquet on Nov. 17 to raise money for malnourished children in the Philippines. … BYUSA’s Filipino Club also performed a variety of dances at the event.”
2023
“It was the second annual “Restore” gathering, a two-day assemblage sponsored by Faith Matters, which defines itself as a “space in which an expansive, radiant approach to the restored gospel can be considered and discussed. … The celebration brought together members from Mormon Women for Ethical Government, the Mormon History Association and the Bountiful Children’s Foundation.”
The Salt Lake Tribune, by Peggy Fletcher Stack, Oct. 17, 2023
2023
The Incredible Power of Love and How It Can Save Lives:
Bob Rees’ Story
“In this episode, Bob Rees, a co-founder of Bountiful Children’s Foundation, shares his touching story. … As he grew up, he joined the church and became a faithful member, having compassion for those in need, and a desire to help and serve them. When he discovered that there were members of the church in 3rd world countries who’s children were dying from malnutrition, he knew he needed to do something about it, and so he started the Bountiful Children’s Foundation.
“This is a story of hope and inspiration that needs to be shared!”
LDS Video Podcast “Latter-Day Lights” – Inspired Stories
LDS Audio Podcast “Latter-Day Lights” – Inspired Stories
2023
The Hopeful Change in Global Health
“Despite the rain clouds and dreary news that seemingly dominate the headlines, we have been blessed with a great deal of sunshine and good news. These hopeful trends, combined with the extraordinary influence of the light of the restored gospel, give me tremendous hope we will continue to tackle the great challenges of our day with both optimism and action.“
Benjamin T. Crookston, professor of public health in the College of Life Sciences, delivered this BYU forum address on July 25, 2023. Ben has been working with Bountiful Children since 2013 and is on Bountiful’s Advisory Board.
BYU Speeches (29 minutes)
Clips From Ben’s BYU Speech (7 minutes)
2023
“Nothing engenders hope more than love. The world rests on our success or failure in manifesting and multiplying love. What gives us the most hope is the realization—and it is one of the great gifts of Joseph Smith’s religion-making imagination—that we have Heavenly Parents who are crazy about us, who will do anything in their power to help us fulfill the hope they placed in us.“
A guest post at Wayfare by Bob Rees, a scholar, poet, and humanitarian, who is co-founder and vice-president of Bountiful Children’s Foundation,
2023
Elder and Sister Renlund minister to Latter-day Saints in Central American countries
“As she did in Honduras, Sister Renlund assisted in a service project while in Guatemala. She helped to distribute nutritional supplements to mothers and children at risk for malnutrition in Guatemala. The program serves hundreds of children and mothers in the Patzicia Guatemala Stake area. ‘This is such an important project,’ Sister Renlund said. ‘There is no way to make up in later life for a lack of nutrition in the first five years of life.'”
2022
See how these LDS activists became ‘anxiously engaged’ in good causes, with Brad Walker
“With the aid of more than 30 LDS stake (regional) presidents and other leaders in Mexico, Guatemala, Ecuador, Peru and Brazil, Walker spent years collecting data on the health problems, particularly malnutrition, of Latter-day Saint children in Latin America. From the data, he concluded that hundreds of thousands of “faithful and active Latter-day Saints” lived in “dire poverty,” including thousands of children who have annual cases of severe, preventable disability, and 900 annual preventable deaths. Walker established the Liahona Children’s Foundation to provide a “caloric and vitamin supplement” to those suffering from malnutrition.”
The backstory of Brad Walker, one of Bountiful’s founders
Read article at Salt Lake Tribune (subscribers only)
Read an Excerpt about Brad (popup)
2021
Imaginative Discipleship — A Conversation with Robert Rees
“For this episode, we talked to Dr. Robert Rees. Bob has fit enough into his life to fill several lifetimes, so we can’t talk about everything he’s done, but we’ll give you some highlights here. Bob has taught in humanities and Mormon Studies at UCLA, UC Berkeley, and several other institutions. He’s also been the editor of Dialogue, former Chair of the Sunstone Foundation, and has published a wide variety of scholarly articles, personal essays, editorials, and poetry. Bob is the editor of a book series called Why I Stay, which compiles essays by some really remarkable Latter-day Saints. … Bob is also one of the founders of The Bountiful Children’s Foundation, whose mission is to nurture the potential of infants and toddlers to lead healthy, productive, and self-reliant lives by eliminating malnutrition.”
Aubrey and Tim Chaves interviewing Bob Rees
2019
The Beautiful Saints of Madagascar
“For more than a decade the Bountiful Children’s Foundation has been addressing malnutrition among Latter-day Saint children in the developing world. … Founded, funded, and volunteer-administered by Latter-day Saints, the Bountiful Children’s Foundation focuses on the first 1000 days of a child’s life, the most critical period for body and brain development. … In April 2019 Bob Rees, co-founder and current Vice-president of the Bountiful Children’s Foundation, and his wife Gloria Rees traveled to the island nation of Madagascar to strengthen and expand the work of the foundation. We’re pleased to join with Bob and Gloria in a conversation about their experience in Madagascar, and the work of the foundation throughout the world.”
Laura Redford of the Widsoe Foundation interviewing Gloria and Robert Rees
2014
Bountiful (formerly Liahona) Children’s Foundation – Humanitarian Service to the Children
“Largely due to the success of the Church’s missionary efforts to take the gospel to the remote parts of the earth, it is not surprising that a number of malnourished children are found among Latter-day Saint communities in many countries worldwide. This is an ongoing issue that the federally recognized 501 (c) 3 non-profit organization (which is independent from The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints) has striven to address for the past six years. Although the Foundation is not directly affiliated with The Church of Jesus Christ, it is administered by faithful Latter-day Saints and funded by contributions from Latter-day Saints in the United States and other parts of the world. Based on their experience over the past six years, it is estimated that at present, there are at least 120,000 malnourished LDS children in the world. The Church of Jesus Christ has over 15 million members worldwide.”
2014
Addressing Malnutrition in the Modern Church
“We met little Chantal in the northern mountains of Iloilo Province during our recent work in the Philippines. As soon as I picked her up to put her on the scale, I noticed that her body was weaker and more emaciated than that of the other children we were screening for the [Bountiful] Childrens Foundation that day. When we finished recording Chantal’s weight and height, we told her mother that we were concerned about her daughters health. By the look on her mothers face, we could tell that this was something she already knew. Tears welled up in her eyes as we gave her a high-protein supplement for her daughter.”
2013
Solving the Problem of Child Hunger
“By Common Consent first promoted the efforts of Liahona Children’s Foundation to solve the problem of child hunger in developing countries in 2011. In this ongoing fight, you are invited to a Liahona Children’s Foundation’s Hunger fireside or banquet (or both) in your area to raise funds to feed starving families. Meet representatives from participating stakes from Peru, Guatemala, Cambodia and Ecuador while enjoying great food, dance and culture.”
By MMiles
2011
Providing in The Lord’s Way, Part 1
“Two things impressed me about [Elder Uchtdorf’s] sermon. First, the scripture citations admonish us to remember the poor, to think about them and not forget them. And second, Elder Uchtdorf emphasizes that our spiritual salvation is directly connected to the way we seek after and care for the temporal needs of the poor. In an important way, the future progress of the church depends on our willingness and ability to care for the needy.”
By Mark Brown
2010
“Worldwide, an estimated 70,000 LDS children are chronically malnourished. Working in cooperation with local stake presidencies in developing countries, the Liahona Children’s Foundation is attempting to alleviate malnutrition and illiteracy among LDS children. Malnourished children suffer life-long cognitive and physical impairment and are much more likely to be dependent on both their government and the church.“
Presentation by Brad Walker, M.D.
2004
50,000 Malnourished LDS Children? How Can We Help?
“The Church has 375,000 faithful members in less-developed countries (LDCs) who live in absolute poverty. In addition, 50,000 children from faithful families are malnourished, and one can point to 5300 annual cases of severe preventable disability among faithful members (mostly children) and 900 annual deaths (85 percent of whom are children) in this same group….“
Podcast panel discussion with Robert A. Rees, Brad Walker, Polly Sheffield, Warner P. Woodworth, Sandra Hernandez, Teresa Fuentes, Gladys Guerrero
2003
Spreading Zion Southward, Part II:
Sharing Our Loaves and Fishes
“I wish only to point to the apparent inequities and inefficiencies in the present allocation of our resources, both as a people and as a church, and to suggest ways in which we might do better by our numerous brothers, sisters, and friends in the less-developed countries (LDCs) with but little additional sacrifice among those of us blessed to live in affluence.“
Research Article by Bradley Walker
2002
“Thus, reallocating general fast-offering funds from the wealthier countries (WCs) to the less-developed countries (LDCs), even to this minimal degree (whether through LDS Family Services or otherwise), would alleviate the chronic malnourishment of 50,000 faithful LDS children, preventing nine hundred annual deaths (85 percent of them children of the faithful), and avoiding two thousand new cases of significant disabilities annually among the membership.“
Research Article by Bradley Walker
Brad Walker, Bountiful Children’s Foundation
(Bountiful Children’s Foundation) Natividad Samochuallpa, regional coordinator for South America for the Bountiful Children’s Foundation, helps to weigh and measure children to check for malnourishment while in Peru, her home country.
On a return trip in 1983 to Ecuador, where Walker had served his church mission, he saw a woman he had baptized coughing up blood. Her tuberculosis could be cured with a $200 treatment, but she couldn’t afford it. Walker, who had spent four times that much on his airfare, considered giving her the money, but didn’t. Three years later, she died.
That was a crushing realization for Walker.
By 2004, he was a physician in Las Vegas and determined to help improve the health of members in developing nations. With the aid of more than 30 LDS stake (regional) presidents and other leaders in Mexico, Guatemala, Ecuador, Peru and Brazil, Walker spent years collecting data on the health problems, particularly malnutrition, of Latter-day Saint children in Latin America.
From the data, he concluded that hundreds of thousands of “faithful and active Latter-day Saints” lived in “dire poverty,” including thousands of children who have annual cases of severe, preventable disability, and 900 annual preventable deaths.
Walker established the Liahona Children’s Foundation to provide a “caloric and vitamin supplement” to those suffering from malnutrition.
It began small but now his nonprofit — which changed its name two years ago to Bountiful Children’s Foundation — is actively serving “nearly 20,000 children and many of their mothers in 16 countries,” according to its website. “In 2019, the foundation provided more than 1.8 million supplements to recipients across 200 communities.”
Walker’s church mission and prayer played a big role in what motivated him.
One night in 2004, he was discouraged by some responses to his malnutrition project, which seemed overwhelming to launch without more help.
As he slept, a figure came to him in a dream and said, “Don’t give up.” He woke up two more times that night, Walker recalls now, and each time the same figure told him not to forsake the project.
That was almost 20 years ago, and now his malnutrition effort is stronger than ever.
That, he says, is faith.
(Bountiful Children’s Foundation) Brad Walker, with his family, started the Bountiful Children’s Foundation to fight malnutrition in developing nations.
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