Preparedness – “Accumulating a 3-Month Supply and Longer”

OBJECTIVE: Learning and applying principles of home storage to become more self-reliant.

Principle 1: Heavenly Father will help us provide for our needs as we walk diligently in faith and obedience.

DISCUSSION A: What is the purpose of short-term and long-term home storage?

Heavenly Father has lovingly commanded us to "prepare every needful thing" (see D&C 109:8) so that, should adversity come, we may care for ourselves and our neighbors.

DISCUSSION B: What areas of home storage should we be focused on?

“Church leaders encourage Church members worldwide to prepare for adversity in life by having a basic supply of food and water and some money in savings. They ask that you be wise as you store food and water and build your savings. Do not go to extremes; it is not prudent, for example, to go into debt to establish your food storage all at once. With careful planning, you can, over time, establish a home storage supply and a financial reserve.

Principle 2: Short-term and long-term home storage can be built gradually.

DISCUSSION A: What is the difference between a short-term and long-term storage?

Three-month supply items are foods that you normally eat; including canned and commercially packaged foods. Longer-term supply items are basic food items like grains (wheat, white rice, pasta, oats} and beans that have very low moisture content (about 10% or less), can be stored for long periods of time (20–30 years), and would sustain life if nothing else were available to eat. A portion of longer-term supply items may be rotated into the three-month supply.

DISCUSSION B: What are the basics of a family home storage three-month supply? 

Food: Build a small supply of food that is part of your normal, daily diet. One way to do this is to purchase a few extra items each week to build a one-week supply of food. Then you can gradually increase your supply until it is sufficient for three months. These items should be rotated regularly to avoid spoilage.

Drinking water:  Store drinking water for circumstances in which the water supply may be polluted or disrupted.

If water comes directly from a good, pre-treated source then no additional purification is needed; otherwise, pre-treat water before use. Store water in sturdy, leak-proof, breakage-resistant containers. Consider using plastic bottles commonly used for juices and soda. Keep water containers away from heat sources and direct sunlight.

Financial Reserve: Establish a financial reserve by saving a little money each week and gradually increasing it to a reasonable amount.

             DISCUSSION C: How much food storage do I need?

Take the amount of food you would need to purchase to feed your family for a day and multiply that by 7. That is how much food you would need for a one-week supply. Once you have a week’s supply, you can gradually expand it to a month, and eventually three months. For longer-term needs, and where permitted, gradually build a supply of food that will last a long time and that you can use to stay alive, such as wheat, white rice, and beans. A portion of these items may be rotated in your three-month supply.

DISCUSSION D: Where should I store my food storage?

Make sure your food storage is properly packaged and stored in a cool, dry place. Have it in a convenient place so that you can get to it if needed. What places can you find in your home to store food and water?

Principle 3: Obeying the principle of Home Storage will bless us with self-reliance.

“Every father and mother are the family’s storekeepers. They should store whatever their own family would like to have in the case of an emergency … [and] God will sustain us through our trials.”  “The Responsibility for Welfare Rests with Me and My Family,” Ensign, May 1986, 22.  “Many more people could ride out the storm-tossed waves in their economic lives if they had their year’s supply of food … and were debt-free. Today we find that many have followed this counsel in reverse: they have at least a year’s supply of debt and are food-free.”  “That Noble Gift—Love at Home,” Church News,May 12, 2001, 7.  Ezekiel 38:7 Be thou prepared, and prepare for thyself, thou, and all thy company that are assembled unto thee, and be thou a guard unto them.   … but if ye are prepared ye shall not fear.  D&C38:30

The above information was taken in part from https://www.lds.org/manual/all-is-safely-gathered-in-family-home-storage/all-is-safely-gathered-in-family-home-storage?lang=eng