Food Storage Confessions

I admit it, I used to cringe when I heard others talking about food storage. I wished the whole concept would just go away and I wouldn’t have to hear about it again! I tried to think of reasons why the counsel was not good for me. I know there are many of you who feel the same way. My feelings were mostly the result of guilt, because I was not prepared years ago. The task of accumulating a year’s worth of food to keep my family fed in case of emergency seemed insurmountable, and I was reluctant for a few reasons:

1. Lack of money

2. Lack of time

3. Lack of know-how

(those are really just my excuses, see below for the real problem)

4. Lack of faith

Eventually, I came to a point when I realized that when we follow the counsel of church leaders, we are always met with success and blessings in our life. I grew to discover that this principle applies to obtaining food storage as well. Even though I didn’t have much spare cash and my hands were full taking care of small children, I decided to just start becoming prepared. I didn’t obtain a food storage all at once - it took a few years to accumulate. We have to begin by taking “baby steps.”

Some suggestions:

Did you know that our church recommends storing at least three months’ worth of foods that we eat on a regular basis? (For most of us, we’re not talking wheat kernels here.) For my family that means storing lots of peanut butter, jelly, cereal, spaghetti noodles, soups, pasta sauce, and macaroni and cheese. Oh yeah, and chocolate chips, too. It’s easy to collect these kinds of foods: next time you go to the store to buy two boxes of cereal, purchase three and put one in your food storage. When canned corn goes on sale, pick up a case of it. Now you have begun. Continue to grow your three-month supply this way over time.

Wheat, dry beans, and powdered milk may not be our favorite foods, but they do sustain life, so it is important to have them on hand. (See http://www.providentliving.org/ for a complete list of foods to store long-term.) I know the thought of obtaining these bulk necessities may seem daunting, but here’s some great news: wheat, rice, beans and oats are now available pre-canned and boxed! All you have to do is drive to the Home Storage Center, pick them up, take ‘em home and put them in the basement (see homestoragecenter.net for pricing and hours). It’s easy, reasonably priced, and you can fit a couple months’ worth of these staples in your car at once. Go with your friends and ward members to the home storage center and can additional bulk items once every few months.

You’ll be amazed at how quickly your supply blossoms once you begin making regular efforts. The peace of mind that comes from being prepared is irreplaceable. Come what may, we will have enough to eat when we are follow the counsel of our leaders and obtain a year’s supply of food.

- Michele Shinedling