Message from the First Presidency
Dear Brothers and
Sisters:
Our Heavenly Father
created this beautiful earth, with all its abundance, for our benefit and use.
His purpose is to provide for our needs as we walk in faith and obedience. He
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
and support bishops as they care for others.
We encourage Church members worldwide to prepare for adversity in life by having a basic supply of food and water and some money in savings.
We 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.
We realize that some
of you may not have financial resources or space for such storage. Some of you
may be prohibited by law from storing large amounts of food. We encourage you
to store as much as circumstances allow.
May the Lord bless
you in your home storage efforts.
The First Presidency
Suggestion: Start with a one week meal plan - with recipes – then double it. (That gives you two weeks - - build from there.)
The Basics of Family Home Storage
Three-Month Supply
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, pretreated source then no additional purification is
needed; otherwise, pretreat 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 (see Prepare Every Needful Thing: Family Finances guide).