The United Methodist Committee on Relief (UMCOR), the arm of the United Methodist Church that provides disaster and global development aid, plans to open in Salt Lake City a warehouse, distribution and resource center.

Though UMCOR hasn't settled on a location, the hope is to open a 15,000- to 20,000-square-foot site by the first of the year, Rachel Lieder Simeon, second-in-command at UMCOR, said by phone from her New York office.

UMCOR has partnered with other agencies to run operations across the world, but the Salt Lake City site will be only the second depot - the organization's preferred term - in the U.S. that is fully sponsored by UMCOR. The other depot is in Baldwin, La., about a two-hour drive west of New Orleans. Another depot (the first international one) is currently being sized up in Manila, Simeon added.

Opening a site in the West was top-of-mind, she explained, to better address disasters unique to the region, such as earthquakes and fires, while being in a position to more easily reach out across the Pacific. And while the Louisiana depot was able to serve those affected by hurricanes in recent years, she spoke of the importance of spreading out resources, just in case a depot falls victim to disaster, too.

Simeon, who was in Salt Lake last week to scout locations and meet with local churches and officials, left town revved up by the prospects. She said she was struck by the excitement of the community and - given her New York perspective on real estate - the square-footage prices in the warehouse market. Plans are under way to hire at least two full-time employees, she said, and tap the United Methodist Volunteer in Mission program, which sends teams out to do good works. "I'm sure they'll find their way to Salt Lake City," she said.

This aspect is thrilling to the Rev. Steve Goodier of the city's east-side Christ United Methodist Church.

"The United Methodist Church is not a particularly large denomination in Utah . . . and so what this means for us is that we will have work teams from around the country coming into Salt Lake City throughout the year," he said. "As a pastor of a church, it's going to be wonderful for my congregation to be in this position to welcome people."

Goodier and Simeon made clear that even though the depot will be UMCOR-sponsored, the intention isn't to go it alone or compete with, say, the humanitarian efforts of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

"We're known for working with partners around the globe," Simeon said. And teaming up with others, when it comes to this kind of service, does everybody good.