Tonight I attended my meeting at the stake center for the ward emergency preparedness coordinators. One thing that was brought to my attention is a question asked from our stake representative: Where are you with your Food Storage?
I have items stored. How long will the items I've stored last? Do I know what to do with the things I've got? I've got a can of freeze-dried bell peppers. What in the world will I do with that? None of us just eat bell peppers like that. I use them as an ingredient in a few things like spaghetti sauce. So do I have spaghetti stuff stored? Actually,... no I don't. So I'm storing bell peppers that I can't really use unless my family is literally starving to death. I need to remedy that by storing other ingredients to go with my bell peppers.
But still, I've got items stored. How long can I survive if what I currently have is all I have when emergency strikes? Honestly, I don't know. It's time to evaluate! Not only that, but its time to fill in the gaps that I already know exist in my food storage.
Why are we storing food?
No, we're not trying out for the Hoarders tv show. We're not even preaching doomsday theories here. Instead, we're suggesting wisdom that thinks ahead. Nobody plans to lose their job. Nobody plans to get hurt and be physically unable for a time to care for their needs. Nobody plans on economic hard times. They do happen, though. They happen everyday to somebody. That means YOU will likely have your own turn at some point. Prepare to deal with it now while you can!
Now that brings me to another thought. How do you afford food storage?
One of the members of my ward mentioned to me several months ago that she and her husband had purchased a years supply all in one fell swoop. She said it cost her around $3000.00 which is an amazing price if you add up what you normally spend week by week for a year. That big round number took my breath away, and I dare say there are many who would feel the same way. So if you can't do it that way, then you do it little by little...."line upon line, precept upon precept" until you finally get there. Storing your food should be a constantly ongoing effort anyway. Why? Because what parent can let their children-even grown children-go without food should crisis strike? And what about grandchildren, ... or maybe its your parents who fall upon hard times. Take care of YOUR needs first, and then build upon on it so you can help your neighbor and other family. You should be EATING those foods you store too. Its devastating to spend time and money storing food only to find it has gone bad or been infested by bugs or rodents or received water damage, etc at the time you suddenly need to depend on it. Rotating keeps you aware of the condition of your food and lets you get the most good from it regularly.
So now I ask you: Where are you with YOUR food storage? Do you have three months worth of food in your pantry? Not just those things you can stash for 25 years before opening. I mean those simple things you use on a daily basis and keep close at hand, NOT in the basement. Do you have adequate water handy to re-hydrate those dehydrated and freeze-dried foods?
You can afford what you want to afford. You can collect what you want to collect. You can make any effort you choose to make. What will YOU do?
