Mormons storing food for a year

[kellie]

I have just been reading lds.org and discovered that Mormons are to try and keep enough food in storage to feed their family for a year, in case there is ever a time when food is scarce.

Doesn’t this go against the teachings of Jesus to feed the poor?

 

[lizaanne]

I have just been reading lds.org and discovered that Mormons are to try and keep enough food in storage to feed their family for a year, in case there is ever a time when food is scarce.

Doesn’t this go against the teachings of Jesus to feed the poor?

In what way do you think it would? I mean, if the LDS person were to share their food during a time when food is scarce, then I think it would actually support that teaching.

Not sure what you might have been thinking when you posted, can you elaborate on your question a bit more?

~Liza

 

[st_ignatius110]

No, it would not be. Taking care of your family is your first priority.

 

[maternus]

Mormons have been teaching this for a long time. It is primarily a family security issue, as it is often used in times of unemployment/underemployment or personal financial hardship. Also, they will use the Colorado snowstorms as a good example of why you should have food storage. If you can’t get out of your house for 2 weeks, what are you going to eat?

I imagine if a time came when the general food supply was scarce, Utah would be a pretty good place to be.

I was raised LDS, now I am Catholic and I still store some food. You can only get so much of your upbringing out of you.

 

[puzzleannie]

after being stuck in the house with 3 babies in a couple of blizzards, I formed the habit of keeping at least 2 wks-month of non-perishable food, water, emergency supplies. Habit is still of benefit here in hurricane country. A year might be a bit excessive, Mormons I knew in Ohio used 6 months as a guideline, and also important to rotate food so not stored past usable date. To their credit, part of the rationale was to be able to provide charity to others who might be in need in case of such emergency.

I imagine in the early days of Utah settlement the strategy made sense for Mormon pioneers, who had known scarcities, and miraculous salvation from such emergencies, according to legend.

 

[majick275]

I don’t see it as a problem and actually find it one of the good things (self reliance/family preparedness) that the LDS church teaches. I think they have false doctrine all over but some of their practices (like this one) are good.

 

[love4mary]

I have good friends who are Mormon…They vaccuum package a years worth of non-parishable food stuff for ANY sort of emergency.

As another poster pointed out,this really came in handy when we were iced in for a week.

 

[melissaP]

i was raised Mormon as well, converted to Presbyterian, and am now in RCIA, and i remember my mother always attempting to have ample food storage. You may think that i am crazy if you see my kitchen cabinets!

as far as feeding the poor goes, i can tell you that the LDS church definately feeds their own poor! you cant imagine the social serice organization that they have. it is highly organized, to the point that they have their own farms, processing plants, canneries, distribution centers, etc. they have order lists by which the poor members can order what they need- they have EVERYTHING, and it all has their own labels! members volunteer at the factories, which is how they are able to acheive this undertaking.

so, i would not wonder if this belief in food storage contradicts feeding the poor, b/c they do both!

melissaP

 

[Karin]

i was raised Mormon as well, converted to Presbyterian, and am now in RCIA, and i remember my mother always attempting to have ample food storage. You may think that i am crazy if you see my kitchen cabinets!

as far as feeding the poor goes, i can tell you that the LDS church definately feeds their own poor! you cant imagine the social serice organization that they have. it is highly organized, to the point that they have their own farms, processing plants, canneries, distribution centers, etc. they have order lists by which the poor members can order what they need- they have EVERYTHING, and it all has their own labels! members volunteer at the factories, which is how they are able to acheive this undertaking.

so, i would not wonder if this belief in food storage contradicts feeding the poor, b/c they do both!

melissaP

that is so sweet…they feed their own poor…but what about the rest of the poor that arent LDS?

 

[melissaP]

that is so sweet…they feed their own poor…but what about the rest of the poor that arent LDS?

well, as PP stated, the first responsibility we have is to take care of our own family first

and yes, i havent seen much outreach to non-members who are poor, on an active level, but if you wanted to sit and listen to their “discussions”, they would feed you too. i for one have heard enough of it for a lifetime and would find another way to get a meal. (although my mama’s cookin’ is still appreciated, lol)

melissaP

 

[Karin]

well, as PP stated, the first responsibility we have is to take care of our own family first

totally agree…family being my immediate blood relations.

and yes, i havent seen much outreach to non-members who are poor, on an active level, but if you wanted to sit and listen to their “discussions”, they would feed you too. i for one have heard enough of it for a lifetime and would find another way to get a meal. (although my mama’s cookin’ is still appreciated, lol)

melissaP

oh no thanks …even if I was starving and could get free food from them I would not sit and listen to them…

 

[tundramom]

I well remember my Mom storing food for ages. In the 70’s, when the idea of a food storage really was the big thing in Mormonism, there were hoards of people who came to Utah with the idea of selling products to all. My Mom and so many others in our home ward bought into the idea and I well remember 50 gallon barrels of wheat and other things… without the use of a grinder, mind you. These things could not be rotated by a family of 5 in any manner. Especially since it was our “food storage and we can’t touch it until we need it”. I had a brother in law who had enough seeds and supplies including gasoline to start his own commune after Armageddon, while his children went without dental care…
There was gallons and gallons of water and every kind of home canned foods, or with the Deseret label on it shoved into every nook and cranny of the house.

When my Father died, my Mom opened the food storage. Much of it had spoiled. Some of it was horrible. Us kids ended up doing janitorial work and working at the cannery to “earn” the church “welfare” to feed us all.

Jump forward a few years and I was a young pregnant newlywed who had been confined to bed for the last 5 months of my pregnancy. my ex-husband and I were living in St George at the time. He was going to school full time and I was under Drs orders to stay prone unless to relieve myself or shower. Otherwise I would lose my baby. I called the Relief Society president and she came to my house and told me that if my husband and myself would come to church and pay tithing for 3 months, we could get help. I explained to her that I wasn’t able to hold a calling… I wasn’t able to sit through a meeting… I was unable to work in the fields and I was the only bread earner, since my husband was going to school full time. We were denied church “welfare”.

Yeah… Mormons take care of their own.

in Christ
Steph

 

[kellie]

Well my point was isnt a years worth a bit excessive?

While that food is stored away for their own use, there are the poor who could use it right now.

It just seems to be thinking way too far into the future when people need food right now.

We are supposed to trust in God, and know He will provide in times of need.

A year’s supply of food doesnt seem to be trusting God.

 

[Karin]

Well my point was isnt a years worth a bit excessive?

While that food is stored away for their own use, there are the poor who could use it right now.

It just seems to be thinking way too far into the future when people need food right now.

We are supposed to trust in God, and know He will provide in times of need.

A year’s supply of food doesnt seem to be trusting God.

*. Through Latter-day Prophets God has commanded us to have a year’s supply of food and other essentials in our food storage: *

• *"The Church and its members are commanded by the Lord to be self-reliant and independent. (See [D&C 78:13-14 (http://lds.about.com/gi/dynamic/offsite.htm?site=http://scriptures.lds.org/dc/78/13-14%2313)) *
• The responsibility for each person’s social, emotional, spiritual, physical, or economic well-being rests first upon himself, second upon his family, and third upon the Church if he is a faithful member thereof." (Spencer W. Kimball, "[Welfare Services: The Gospel in Action (http://lds.about.com/gi/dynamic/offsite.htm?site=http://library.lds.org/nxt/gateway.dll/Magazines/Ensign/1977.htm/ensign%20november%201977.htm/welfare%20services%20the%20gospel%20in%20action.htm%3Ffn=document-frameset.htm%24f=templates%243.0)*," Ensign, Nov. 1977, 76) *
• "There is something in the Doctrine and Covenants, which says, ‘And there shall be a great hailstorm sent forth to destroy the crops of the earth.’ ([D&C 29:16 (http://lds.about.com/gi/dynamic/offsite.htm?site=http://scriptures.lds.org/dc/29/16#16)*). …What are you going to do when that happens? Ah, brothers and *
  *sisters, [support] your welfare project, and when that happens and if you have your year’s supply of food in your home, let the hails come, and the winds blow, and our storehouses in our homes, in our wards, and in our stakes will be full just as they were in the days of Joseph, and we will be preserved. I like that plan. What good will be our greenbacks that we get from the government for security when all the crops of the earth are destroyed by hail?..You know in the days of Israel they worked this plan." (**Matthew Cowley [Apostle from 1945-1953], *
  *“Matthew Cowley Speaks,” Deseret Book, 1954) *

*2. Have a food storage of essential foods, clothing, fuel, and water will help us during times of personal and natural disasters. *

• "In section 1 of the great Doctrine and Covenants, a volume of modern scripture, we read these words: ‘Prepare ye, prepare ye for that which is to come. …’ ([D&C 1:12 (http://lds.about.com/gi/dynamic/offsite.htm?site=http://scriptures.lds.org/dc/1/12#12)) Further in this same revelation are these warning words: ‘… I the Lord, knowing the calamity which should come upon the inhabitants of the earth . …’ ([D&C 1:17 (http://lds.about.com/gi/dynamic/offsite.htm?site=http://scriptures.lds.org/dc/1/17#17))
  lds.about.com/library/weekly/aa112202a.htm

 

[mommyof4]

Well, I’m not Mormon, never have been, never will be, and don’t even KNOW any Mormons. I am a believer in storing up food, however. Living in the midwest, out in the country, it is not unreasonable to think that we can get snowed in here for a few days at a time during the winter. Also, our income is sometimes erratic - I store up enough food in our pantry and freezer to help us get through the tough financial times. I probably have about a months worth of food in storage. Well, probably enough jelly to last 5 years! And yes, I share my food if I see a family member if need be. I also donate quite a bit of produce from my garden each year to our local homeless shelter.

 

[Ridgerunner]

I can’t say what all Mormons believe, and I sometimes think there are subgroups that don’t share the same ideas, exactly, as others. For a time, a great number of Mormons settled in Missouri. In talking to them, I learned that they were of a particular persuasion, not shared by all, that the Second Coming was to be in Missouri at a particular point in time. I think all Mormons believe the second coming is to be in Mo., but not all believed that it would happen at that time. It didn’t happen timely, of course, so many moved away again. But the way they explained it to me, there would be a time of tribulation associated with the second coming, and the food would be needed for survival. That’s the real reason they kept a year’s supply of food. And no, they had no plan to share it with us “Gentiles”, as we are called among them, and would admit it, straight up. They were also pretty fond of having gold, since they believed U.S. money would be worthless. I remember one of them showing me proudly how he had fortified his basement, where his food and weapons were stored. I guess it was awful of me, but I asked him how on earth he expected to keep it to himself with all the hillbilly vets around, many with combat experience, who could shoot the eyes out of a squirrel at 500 years; many of whom had demolitions experience, virtually all of whom could operate earthmoving equipment and not one of whom would hesitate to do whatever it took to keep his family alive. This came as a shocking revelation to the gentleman, who moved away not long after that. I don’t know to where.

 

[Lance]

I am married to a good Catholic Sicilian who has enough food in our freezer and pantry to feed us for several months.

She has this just in case company drops by. When we have planned company or holidays there is even more. About every 3 months she goes through the pantry and takes the stuff that is about to expire (freshness date) over to our parish food pantry. I often wonder what the poor people think of getting canned cannellini beans, Panettone, canned artichokes, hearts of palm or a jar of pesto.

 

[mommyof4]

I am married to a good Catholic Sicilian who has enough food in our freezer and pantry to feed us for several months.

She has this just in case company drops by. When we have planned company or holidays there is even more. About every 3 months she goes through the pantry and takes the stuff that is about to expire (freshness date) over to our parish food pantry. I often wonder what the poor people think of getting canned cannellini beans, Panettone, canned artichokes, hearts of palm or a jar of pesto.

Hey, coming from a fellow Sicilian, I think it is GREAT! Your wife is a saint!

And since I have a hard time finding authentic Sicilian food in Iowa, do you think she could send me some of her outdated or soon to be expired food?

 

[mercygate]

My Mormon relatives are food storers, and when need arises anywhere – lilke floods in Idaho some years ago, a lot of that food went to help the disaster area. It wasn’t held in reserve for Mormons. They distributed it wherever it was needed.

Heck, guys! Give credit where credit is due. This is one “tradition of men” that definitely builds up independence for the family, fellowship for the community, and charity for those outside the fold.

 

[Lance]

Hey, coming from a fellow Sicilian, I think it is GREAT! Your wife is a saint!

And since I have a hard time finding authentic Sicilian food in Iowa, do you think she could send me some of her outdated or soon to be expired food?

If you live in Eastern Iowa it really is not that long of a drive to hop on I88 come to IL then go to Bloomingdale and vist Caputo’s Market. They have loads of Italian food and fresh Italian vegetables. That’s where DW gets most of the stuff we eat.