Fast offerings in the church are prescribed to be donated the first Sunday of each month. They are meant to be at least the amount of two consecutive meals, but generosity is encouraged.
The concept is that, by fasting, the funds saved on food can be reallocated to the poor in the church. Using publicly disclosed data from the church in the UK, fast offerings are around 10% of tithing donations, or approximately $700 million per year. Local units dispense fast offerings to the poor, and local leaders are encouraged to find people on whom to spend the donations. Funds that remain unspent at the local unit level are forwarded to the stake, where they can be reapportioned to other units in the stake. Like the bishops, stake presidents are counseled to find a use for the funds they have. If the stake has excess funds, they go to church headquarters. Although there is a mechanism for needy wards to obtain extra fast offering funds, it requires the approval of the stake president, the area president, and even the presiding bishop, meaning it is a very rare occurrence.