Let Us Have Enough Food, Clothing, and Fuel on Hand

Alright, we're finally at the last point of President Benson's talk: Food, Water, Clothing, and Fuel Storage. Now President Benson specifically says to have enough for a year, but not everyone is in the position to do that just yet. Building a year supply of storage can take a very long time, and we shouldn't kill ourselves to get there. On the lds.org page, "Food Storage" we are given very good advice from our leaders:

"We ask that you be wise as you store food and water and build your savings...it is not prudent, for example, to go into debt to establish your food storage all at once."

Sometimes, in our zeal to build up our food storage and get prepared, we may feel like it's okay to spend tons of money to do it. This, however, would go against our last post to be financially prepared, so we need to be wise in our storage building. On the "Food Storage" page, we are told to start small - buy just a few extra items each week until we have a one-week supply of food. Then we can gradually increase to a three-month supply, which is supposed to contain food that's part of our daily diet. From there, we can (as slowly as needed) grow our storage to a longer-term supply.

One of the hardest things for us to store in a desert is drinking water. No matter how you do it, it's going to take some time deciding how to best store water (we will have a post later on going over various water storage ideas). But water is vital, and it is recommended that one person will need an average of one whole gallon per day, and that's only for drinking and cooking, not washing or cleaning.

So why do we need to build this food storage?

"We encourage members worldwide to prepare for adversity in life by having a basic supply of food and water and some money in savings." (food storage, emphasis added)

We need to build our food storage to prepare for adversity. Adversity is not limited to natural disasters like tornadoes and earthquakes, but also for our own smaller personal emergencies that only affect us or our families. This is a wonderful video explaining what our storage is meant for:

I have a strong testimony that we will be blessed as we follow the commandment to build up our food storage. Even just having a small supply and working toward more storage can bring comfort and give us courage to face whatever may come our way. Whether we use it for a devastating tornado or for the loss of a job, I know that it will be a great blessing to everyone who makes food storage a priority in their lives.



Has anyone else noticed the blessings in their lives from building up food storage?