On the list of the “world’s most thankless tasks,” rousing a sleeping teenager before dawn falls somewhere near the top.

Just above it: Trying to teach the same teen something, anything meaningful about God and faith before the first school bell rings.

And yet thousands of faithful Latter-day Saints do just that, four or five times a week, school year after school year, for no pay, just because they’ve been asked to do so.

Fortunately, these early morning seminary teachers have found a secret weapon, a proven method for not just getting sleepy high school students to show up but also to engage:

Feed them.

Scriptures, journals, colored pencils, props for object lessons, printer paper and ink — these are the sorts of basic supplies that, taken together, represent the largest expense for around 40% of these instructors.

In second place, however, comes food.

According to an unscientific 2020 survey of 155 volunteers for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints’ religious education program for teenagers, a quarter of respondents list meals and munchies as their top out-of-pocket outlay.

[Read our original story about the personal costs of teaching early morning seminary.]

Snacks make the mornings palatable

Breakfasts to mark the beginning and end of each school year, especially for larger classes, quickly increase costs for many teachers, the study conducted by Virginia-based veteran instructor Jenny Smith showed. Add to that any birthday and Christmas treats, and it’s easy to see how many find themselves quickly exceeding the $50 per class annual reimbursement set by the global faith’s Church Educational System, which oversees the program.

“I haven’t always been able to easily provide the traditional doughnuts/food that the kids expect and that we love to spoil them with each Friday,” an unnamed respondent stated. “I remember deciding between some groceries for my family and seminary doughnuts when I first started teaching.”

There is nothing in the church’s manual to suggest that seminary teachers are responsible for feeding pancakes to their young charges. The expense is voluntary.

Voluntary and, current and former teachers say, strategic.

Keeping eyes open and heads up is no small task. Mixing in the promise of a bagel keeps the lesson moving. Plus, it’s hard to scroll through Instagram when both hands are holding a muffin.

“Most of my budget goes to food, which my [CES] coordinator keeps reminding [me] not to do,” another unnamed study participant wrote. “But please? Do they know teenagers?? Food makes a big difference in the mood of my class.”

Not all of those shelling out for bacon do so on their own. Some get support from ward (congregation) and stake (regional) budgets in their area.

What the church provides

Church spokesperson Sam Penrod underscored this option in his response to questions about the study’s findings.

“CES provides the manuals and materials for students and those who serve as teachers,” he said. “Local leaders may direct funds from the ward or stake budget to cover additional needs related to early morning seminary classes.”

But as Smith, the study’s author, pointed out, not all wards or stake have that spare change or view seminary spending as their responsibility.

Other teachers say they lessen the blow to their bank accounts by writing off their seminary tab as a charitable contribution on their taxes or by deducting it from their tithing donations to the church.

Stopgap measures like these, Smith argued, would make more sense if the church, which has tens of billions of dollars in its publicly reported reserves, wasn’t in a position to cover the costs itself.

Meanwhile, social media accounts of released-time seminaries, run by church-paid instructors in Utah and other Intermountain West Latter-day Saint strongholds, frequently advertise pizza parties, cookie decorating events and even graduation banquets.

Sharon Haynie has been teaching early morning seminary for 30 years in her rural south-central Colorado town. The most straightforward solution, as she sees it, is for wards and stakes to take ownership of the program by providing a per-student budget

“A lot of people would really say, ‘Thank you,’” the seminary superfan said. “Because that takes off the burden.”