The Legacy of Melvin J. Ballard

Lines stretching, crowding, and winding around street corners. People waiting for food, for jobs—for hope. The devastating effects of the Great Depression caused millions of people worldwide to experience extreme economic uncertainty, poverty, homelessness, and hunger—making public scenes of distress all too common.

The Melvin J. Ballard Center for Social Impact was named after a man who, despite these immense hardships, took on the challenge of creating solutions that can inspire each of us to “Do Good. Better.” today.

Melvin J. Ballard was born in Logan, Utah, in 1873. He received a degree in music at Brigham Young College in Logan and then worked there teaching music classes, where he met his wife, Martha A. Jones. Three weeks into their marriage, he was called to serve a mission on the East Coast of the United States for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Following two years of honorable service, he returned home to raise eight children with Martha. Later, Ballard served as president of the Northwestern States Mission, and in 1919, he was called by President Heber J. Grant to become a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles.

Ten years later, fear and worry plagued the nation with the onset of the Great Depression. Government policies were failing as unemployment continued to climb, and Utah was especially impacted. As the nation’s unemployment rate hit 25 percent, Utah’s unemployment rate reached 35 percent. The Church at the time had a small relief system to support struggling members. Only 1.6 percent of members relied on Church relief, while 16 percent of members received relief from the government. Church leaders realized they needed to do more.

In the April 1936 general conference, President Heber J. Grant announced the inception of the Church Security Plan (later named the Church Welfare Program). Elder Ballard was appointed chairman—a weighty charge. How could he develop a program that wouldn’t merely offer a temporary solution but create lasting change?

Collaborating with local Church leaders, Ballard implemented projects that provided meaningful work opportunities at orchards, canneries, and ranches. He divided the Church into 13 welfare regions, each with storehouses where families could get what they needed at more affordable prices. The Church Security Plan helped provide support to families working towards economic self-reliance. The plan wasn’t perfect, but it alleviated hunger, poverty, and unemployment for tens of thousands and provided the foundation for our current Church welfare system and humanitarian relief efforts.

The Great Depression intensified immense poverty, hunger, and distress. However, these social problems weren’t new and still exist today. Now more than ever, we need a new generation of changemakers who, like Melvin J. Ballard, can evaluate the root causes of social problems and find impactful ways to genuinely help those in need.

Through participation at the Melvin J. Ballard Center for Social Impact, student changemakers at BYU will continue to be inspired, taught, and developed into effective social impact leaders. As they make strides to improve the world, his legacy will live on.