Quotes on Food Storage

“I know of no other way to prepare for these times of adjustment than to be certain that during times of employment, preparations are made for less prosperous times, should they occur. Start now to create a plan if you don’t already have one, or update your present plan. Watch for best buys that will fit into your year’s supply. We are not in a situation that requires panic buying, but we do need to be careful in purchasing and rotating the storage that we’re putting away. The instability in the world today makes it imperative that we take heed of the counsel and prepare for the future”
L. Tom Perry

“Wives are instrumental in this work, but they need husbands who lead out in family preparedness. Children need parents who instill in them this righteous tradition. They will then do likewise with their children, and their stores will not fail.”
Keith B. McMullin, ‘Lay Up in Store,’ Ensign May 2007

“The best place to have some food set aside is within our homes. . . .
‘We can begin ever so modestly. We can begin with a one week’s food supply and gradually build it to a month, and then to three months. . . . I fear that so many feel that a long-term food supply is so far beyond their reach that they make no effort at all.
“Begin in a small way, . . . and gradually build toward a reasonable objective.”
President Gordon B. Hinkley, ‘To Men of the Priesthood,’ Ensign, Nov 200?

“As we have been continuously counseled for more than 60 years, let us have some food set aside that would sustain us for a time in case of need. But let us not panic nor go to extremes. Let us be prudent in every respect. And, above all, my brothers and sisters, let us move forward with faith in the Living God and His Beloved Son.”
Gordon B. Hinckley, ‘The Times in Which We Live,’ Ensign, Nov 2001, 72

“Perhaps if we think … of what it would take to keep us alive in case we didn’t have anything else to eat, that … would be very easy to put in storage for a year … just enough to keep us alive if we didn’t have anything else to eat.”
Harold B. Lee, ‘Prepare Ye,’ Ensign, Jan 1974, 81

“Be prepared in all things against the day when tribulations and desolations are sent forth upon the wicked.”
Doctrine and Covenants 29:8

“I hope that we understand that, while having a garden, for instance, is often useful in reducing food costs and making available delicious fresh fruits and vegetables, it does much more than this. Who can gauge the value of that special chat between daughter and Dad as they weed or water the garden? How do we evaluate the good that comes from the obvious lessons of planting, cultivating, and the eternal law of the harvest? And how do we measure the family togetherness and cooperating that must accompany successful canning? Yes, we are laying up resources in store, but perhaps the greater good is contained in the lessons of life we learn as we live providently and extend to our children their pioneer heritage.”
Spencer W. Kimball, ‘Welfare Services: The Gospel in Action,’ Ensign, Nov 1977, 78

“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. Most of us cannot afford to store a year’s supply of luxury items, but find it more practical to store staples that might keep us from starving in case of emergency. Surely we all hope that the hour of need will never come. Some have said, “We have followed this counsel in the past and have never had need to use our year’s supply, so we have difficulty keeping this in mind as a major priority.” Perhaps following this counsel could be the reason why they have not needed to use their reserve. By continued rotation of the supply it can be kept usable with no waste.”
James E. Faust, ‘The Responsibility for Welfare Rests with Me and My Family,’ Ensign, May 1986, 20

A year’s supply of food storage is beneficial in several ways:
1. It provides peace of mind as we obey the counsel to store.
2. It helps ensure survival in case of personal or natural disaster.
3. It strengthens skills in preparing and using basic foods.
“Home Storage: Build on the Basics,” Ensign, Jun 1989, 39

“Recent surveys of Church members have shown a serious erosion in the number of families who have a year’s supply of life’s necessities. Most members plan to do it. Too few have begun … It is our sacred duty to care for our families, including our extended families.”
Thomas S. Monson, ‘Guiding Principles of Personal and Family Welfare,’ Ensign, Sep 1986, 3

“We suggest that members concentrate on essential foods that sustain life.”
 First Presidency Letter, 24 June 1988

“We encourage you to follow this counsel with the assurance that a people prepared through obedience to the commandements of God need not fear.”
First Presidency Letter, 24 June 1988

“We encourage you to follow this counsel with the assurance that a people prepared through obedience to the commandements of God need not fear.”
First Presidency Letter, 24 June 1988

“Let us be in a position so we are able to not only feed ourselves through the home production and storage, but others as well.”
Ezra Taft Benson, ‘Prepare for the Days of Tribulation,’ Ensign, Nov 1980, 32

“Many more people could ride out the storm-tossed waves in their economic lives if they had their year’s supply of food and clothing 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.”
Thomas S. Monson, ‘That Noble Gift - Love at Home,’ Church News, 12 May 2001, 7

“We encourage you to grow all the food that you feasibly can on your own property. Berry bushes, grapevines, fruit trees—plant them if your climate is right for their growth. Grow vegetables and eat them from your own yard. Even those residing in apartments or condominiums can generally grow a little food in pots and planters. Study the best methods of providing your own foods. Make your garden as neat and attractive as well as productive. If there are children in your home, involve them in the process with assigned responsibilities.”
Spencer W. Kimball, ‘Family Preparedness,’ Ensign, May 1976, 124

“Those families will be fortunate who, in the last days, have an adequate supply of food because of their foresight and ability to produce their own.”
Ezra Taft Benson, ‘Prepare for the Days of Tribulation,’ Ensign, Nov 1980, 32

“The Lord has warned us of famines, but the righteous will have listened to prophets and stored at least a year’s supply of survival food.”
Ezra Taft Benson, ‘Prepare Ye,’ Ensign, Jan 1974, 68

“We want you to be ready with your personal storehouses filled with at least a year’s supply. You don’t argue why it cannot be done; you just plan to organize and get it done.”
Spencer W. Kimball, Aug 1976

“As long as I can remember, we have been taught to prepare for the future and to obtain a year’s supply of necessities. I would guess that the years of plenty have almost universally caused us to set aside this counsel. I believe the time to disregard this counsel is over. With events in the world today, it must be considered with all seriousness.”
L. Tom Perry, ‘If Ye Are Prepared Ye Shall Not Fear,’ Ensign, Nov 1995, 35