Food For Thought

Food For Thought

“The Department of Homeland Security has recommended every family in America have a backup food reserve in case of natural disaster or terrorism. Think of it as the "insurance policy" that you can eat. In today’s uncertain world, it pays to be prepared one year too early than one day to late. Be safe… Be Prepared!”

“The time will come that gold will hold no comparison in value to a bushel of wheat.”
(Brigham Young, Journal of Discourses, p#250.)

“I ask you earnestly, have you provided for your family a year’s supply of food, clothing, and, where possible, fuel? The revelation to store food may be as essential to our temporal salvation today as boarding the ark was to the people in the days of Noah.”
(Ezra Taft Benson, Conference Report, Oct. 1973.)

“The principle of self-reliance is spiritual as well as temporal. It is not a doomsday program; it is something to be practiced each and every day of our lives.”
(Elder L. Tom Perry, Conference Report, Oct.1991)

The principle of the fat and lean kine is as applicable today as it was in the days when, on the banks of the Nile, Joseph interpreted Pharaoh's dream. Officials now warn us, and warn again, that scant days are coming. (President Heber J. Grant, J. Reuben Clark, Jr., David O. McKay (First Presidency), Conference Report 1942 as quoted in We Believe, by Rulon T. Burton)

Maintain a year's supply. The Lord has urged that his people save for the rainy days, prepare for the difficult times, and put away for emergencies, a year's supply or more of bare necessities so that when comes the flood, the earthquake, the famine, the hurricane, the storms of life, our families can be sustained through the dark days. How many of us have complied with this? We strive with the Lord, finding many excuses: We do not have room for storage. The food spoils. We do not have the funds to do it. We do not like these common foods. It is not needed -- there will always be someone to help in trouble. The government will come to the rescue. And some intend to obey but procrastinate.
(The Teachings of Spencer W. Kimball, p.375)

You do not need to go into debt to obtain a year's supply. Plan to build up your food supply just as you would a savings account. Save a little for storage each paycheck. Can or bottle fruit and vegetables from your gardens and orchards. Learn how to preserve food through drying and possibly freezing. Make your storage a part of your budget. Store seeds and have sufficient tools on hand to do the job. If you are saving and planning for a second car or a television set or some item which merely adds to your comfort or pleasure, you may need to change your priorities. We urge you to do this prayerfully and do it now. I speak with a feeling of great urgency. (CR October 1980, Ensign 10 [November 1980]