Friday, May 4, 2012

April - Food Storage, Month 1

Welcome to the first of twenty-four installments of the Stake Preparedness Plan!  This will help you get  ready for what may lie ahead personally, locally or globally.  The first step is to formulate your goals.  Read through the entire packet you received (each item is listed and linked to below).  Each resource will help you better understand what the Church has counseled us to prepare and how the stake plan can help you do that (for more resources see the Preparedness Links on the sidebar and our Documents Website). Once you read the packet, prayerfully consider the plan and what personal revisions you feel the Lord would have you make.  He alone can help you know what He would have you do. He will show you the way to accomplish His will for you.  Even if you cannot do everything, finding out what the Lord wants you to do and doing it, regardless of how small, demonstrates your obedience and entitles you to blessings and revelation.  

You'll see that the goals include having two types of food storage: enough foods that store well for a long time like wheat and beans (we'll call them long-term foods) to feed you for a year, and enough everyday non-perishable foods (like spaghetti sauce, canned pears, etc.) to feed you for three months.  It's also vital to have a 2-week supply of water.  This preparedness plan will walk you through the process of acquiring each of these things.
This month begin saving $11 per month per person—saving this amount will give you a year’s supply of food in two years.  (This savings plan assumes you will be buying the cannery’s pre-canned and boxed month-supply food storage, though there are several other options available).  Your situation may not permit the storing of a year supply, or may prohibit your ability to visit the cannery—acquire what you can and continue saving each month toward the time when you can acquire more.  If you cannot save $11 per month per person, save $5.50 and you will have your year’s supply in 4 years.  If you cannot save $5.50, save $2.25 and reach your goal in 8 years (assuming stable food prices).  As mentioned in the packet, you will have the opportunity to make scheduled trips to the cannery to periodically pick up food storage and build your supply using your saved money. 
SUMMARY:
*Read the Two-Year-Plan Packet: The Intro and Synopsis blog tabs, One for the Money, All is Safely Gathered In--Family Home Storage, and All is Safely Gathered In--Family Finances.
*Read “LDS Essentials of Home Production and Storage” on the right-hand column of the blog; visit the Documents Website (also linked on the right-hand column of the blog)
*Prayerfully determine what the Lord would have you do to prepare
*Begin saving $11 per person for your year’s food storage supply