WHY?
“Our Heavenly Father created this beautiful earth, with all its abundance, for our benefit and use. His purpose is to provide for our needs as we walk in faith and obedience. He has lovingly commanded us to ‘prepare every needful thing’ (see Doctrine and Covenants 109:8) so that, should adversity come, we may care for ourselves and our neighbors, and support bishops as they care for others.”
“We encourage members worldwide to prepare for adversity in life by having a basic supply of food and water and some money in savings. We ask that you be wise, and do not go to extremes. With careful planning, you can, over time, establish a home storage supply and a financial reserve.” (See All Is Safely Gathered In.)
Personal preparedness and provident living are part of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. They allow us to handle more of our own needs, and to serve others.
An earlier Presiding Bishop declared, "The Lord will make it possible, if we make a firm commitment, for every Latter-day Saint family to have a year’s supply of food reserves by [a year from today]. All we have to do is to decide, commit to do it, and then keep the commitment. Miracles will take place; the way will be opened, and next April we will have our storage areas filled. We will prove through our actions our willingness to follow our beloved prophet and the Brethren, which will bring security to us and our families."
This 52-week blog series is designed to help you get your 3-month and year-supply over the next 12 months. If you already have your short-term storage, start at Week 26, with the long-term storage foods plan.
Spencer W. Kimball taught,
“Zion is a name given by the Lord to his covenant people, who are characterized by purity of heart and faithfulness in caring for the poor, the needy, and the distressed. (See D&C 97:21.)
‘And the Lord called his people Zion, because they were of one heart and one mind, and dwelt in righteousness; and there was no poor among them.’ (Moses 7:18.) This highest order of priesthood society is founded on the doctrines of love, service, work, self-reliance, and stewardship, all of which are circumscribed by the covenant of consecration.” (General Conference, Oct. 1977; or Ensign, Nov. 1977)
What should you have in your food storage?
1- Food -- a 3-month supply of things you eat every day, and a year's worth of foods that store well for a long time. The 3-month supply will be used on a daily or weekly basis; the long-term foods can be used any time-- but do spend time learning to cook with them! Here's a little-known secret: Once you get your 3-month supply, you're more than halfway done; a year of long-term basic foods are cheaper and simpler to get.
2- Water-- at least a two week's supply. A gallon per person, per day, is the minimum. That's fourteen gallons per person, as a starting number. I like to keep some of it under each sink in the house. 2-liter bottles and plastic 2-quart juice containers, washed out and refilled, are the perfect size for this. This is great for the times the water is off for a little while, and the sinks are exactly where you'll want to have containers you can easily pour. Bigger water storage containers may be kept in the basement, the garage, or in a protected area outside.
3- Financial Reserve This will likely take a few forms. One is to have some cash on hand, in small bills, in event of short-term emergencies like widespread power outages. Another type of reserve is a personal emergency fund. A thousand dollars, sitting in a safe and accessible account, will be enough to deal with most emergencies. A third kind of reserve is to have is enough savings to cover bills for at least 3-6 months. A year is even better.
See the ProvidentLiving website for more details on these.
How do I begin?
First, be determined that this is going to happen, starting today. As Bishop Featherstone said, above, "All we have to do is to decide, commit to do it, and then keep the commitment. Miracles will take place"! Pray to see how to do this. Bishop Featherstone lists several ways to find the money.
The next step in getting your family storehouse is to take inventory of what you have. (All stores have to take inventory! At least yearly.) Get a notebook or a clipboard, and write down all the food you have in the house. Group them in categories that make sense to you. Put it in a safe place that you'll remember, whether digital or hard copy. You'll use this list in the next two weeks.
Go through your budget and see where you can free up some money; for food prices in my area, you'll likely need $12-24 per person, per week, to get the 3 month + year's supply within a year. If that seems out of reach, read the Featherstone talk, and remember that the Lord can multiply your efforts.
“Our Heavenly Father created this beautiful earth, with all its abundance, for our benefit and use. His purpose is to provide for our needs as we walk in faith and obedience. He has lovingly commanded us to ‘prepare every needful thing’ (see Doctrine and Covenants 109:8) so that, should adversity come, we may care for ourselves and our neighbors, and support bishops as they care for others.”
“We encourage members worldwide to prepare for adversity in life by having a basic supply of food and water and some money in savings. We ask that you be wise, and do not go to extremes. With careful planning, you can, over time, establish a home storage supply and a financial reserve.” (See All Is Safely Gathered In.)
Personal preparedness and provident living are part of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. They allow us to handle more of our own needs, and to serve others.
An earlier Presiding Bishop declared, "The Lord will make it possible, if we make a firm commitment, for every Latter-day Saint family to have a year’s supply of food reserves by [a year from today]. All we have to do is to decide, commit to do it, and then keep the commitment. Miracles will take place; the way will be opened, and next April we will have our storage areas filled. We will prove through our actions our willingness to follow our beloved prophet and the Brethren, which will bring security to us and our families."
This 52-week blog series is designed to help you get your 3-month and year-supply over the next 12 months. If you already have your short-term storage, start at Week 26, with the long-term storage foods plan.
Spencer W. Kimball taught,
“Zion is a name given by the Lord to his covenant people, who are characterized by purity of heart and faithfulness in caring for the poor, the needy, and the distressed. (See D&C 97:21.)
‘And the Lord called his people Zion, because they were of one heart and one mind, and dwelt in righteousness; and there was no poor among them.’ (Moses 7:18.) This highest order of priesthood society is founded on the doctrines of love, service, work, self-reliance, and stewardship, all of which are circumscribed by the covenant of consecration.” (General Conference, Oct. 1977; or Ensign, Nov. 1977)
What should you have in your food storage?
1- Food -- a 3-month supply of things you eat every day, and a year's worth of foods that store well for a long time. The 3-month supply will be used on a daily or weekly basis; the long-term foods can be used any time-- but do spend time learning to cook with them! Here's a little-known secret: Once you get your 3-month supply, you're more than halfway done; a year of long-term basic foods are cheaper and simpler to get.
2- Water-- at least a two week's supply. A gallon per person, per day, is the minimum. That's fourteen gallons per person, as a starting number. I like to keep some of it under each sink in the house. 2-liter bottles and plastic 2-quart juice containers, washed out and refilled, are the perfect size for this. This is great for the times the water is off for a little while, and the sinks are exactly where you'll want to have containers you can easily pour. Bigger water storage containers may be kept in the basement, the garage, or in a protected area outside.
3- Financial Reserve This will likely take a few forms. One is to have some cash on hand, in small bills, in event of short-term emergencies like widespread power outages. Another type of reserve is a personal emergency fund. A thousand dollars, sitting in a safe and accessible account, will be enough to deal with most emergencies. A third kind of reserve is to have is enough savings to cover bills for at least 3-6 months. A year is even better.
See the ProvidentLiving website for more details on these.
How do I begin?
First, be determined that this is going to happen, starting today. As Bishop Featherstone said, above, "All we have to do is to decide, commit to do it, and then keep the commitment. Miracles will take place"! Pray to see how to do this. Bishop Featherstone lists several ways to find the money.
The next step in getting your family storehouse is to take inventory of what you have. (All stores have to take inventory! At least yearly.) Get a notebook or a clipboard, and write down all the food you have in the house. Group them in categories that make sense to you. Put it in a safe place that you'll remember, whether digital or hard copy. You'll use this list in the next two weeks.
Go through your budget and see where you can free up some money; for food prices in my area, you'll likely need $12-24 per person, per week, to get the 3 month + year's supply within a year. If that seems out of reach, read the Featherstone talk, and remember that the Lord can multiply your efforts.
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