Weekly Assignment and Food Storage Ideas (Week of October 30th)

Hi Carson Ward Family, Family and Friends,

WARNING! I was just reminded today by Brother Jensen to NOT STORE YOUR PROPANE TANKS INSIDE YOUR HOUSE OR GARAGE. They need to be stored outside in a place that gets the least amount of sun, keep cool and dry. They can explode if in the house/garage or exposed to the sun to much. Infact, it is a law in California. Thank Brother Jensen for the reminder.

Quote:

"Doing things the Lord's way will make us happier than doing them our way." (J. Devn Cornish, Of the Seventy, October 2011 General Conference)

How many of us try to do things our way, thinking we know best, and only end up hitting a brick wall, making things harder on ourselves and becoming unhappy? We all need to follow the Lord and his guidance. We will be much happier if we do and we will receive rich blessings. Now how can we apply this to Emergency Preparedness? If we are striving to set up and increase our Food Storage and Emergency Preparedness items, we will much happier in having peace of mind knowing that we have followed the counsel of our Church leaders (General, Stake and Ward), who follow the Lord, and we are striving to be prepared for whatever might come our way. The Church has provided us with wonderful information on setting up our Food Storage and Emergency Supplies, this blog will also help you. The Lord will help us in our endeavors. We will receive great blessings and provide for our families when the time comes that we need to use our Food Storage. We are becoming self-reliant, as we are counseled by our leaders.

This week a Ward member called me about their concerns about not being able to set up their Food Storage and Emergency Preparedness items fast enough. We are all on a budget and in these more difficult financial times it is not easy. As long as we are striving, trying our best, adding may be only an extra can or package, or two, of food each week, or even each month, we are striving to follow the Lord and our Church leaders, we are striving to be prepared. The Lord will bless us greatly for trying and we will feel peace of mind knowing we are trying!

Temporal Assignments (72 Hour Individual Emergency Preparedness Backpack):

1) 72 Hour Individual Personal Hygiene Kit (This week add the following items. One of each item for each family member's Personal Hygiene Kit. Put them in the large plastic zip lock bag with the other items we have added and put it in each family members 72 Hour Emergency Preparedness Backpack.)

I purchased both of these items at the 99 Cent Store.

1) Small bottle of hand sanitizer
2) Heavy work gloves

For all families to do this week:

1) Have a fire drill in your home. If you have not talk to the family about this then have a Family Home Evening on Emergency Preparedness and talk about fire safety in your home. Set up emergency escape routes, make sure they know where to meet at outside, put older ones n charge of younger ones (especially if they share a bedroom), and put the escape plan for each bedroom on the back of each child's bedroom door. Check the smoke detectors in your home to make sure they are working properly, if none, put them up. The Fire Department sometimes gives these out free. Purchase a fire latter if you have a second story house and teach your children how to use it. We had Fire Drills in our home every few months. We would call out "Fire, Fire, Fire in the living room", or where ever, (but we would also let them know it is a practice so they would not break any windows as we can taught them if they had to go out the window and could not get it open).

Note: For a spiritual side of FHE, talk about fire safety---Paying your Tithing.

2) Have an earthquake drill in your home. Talk about this in FHE too. Show the family what to do, the best and safest places to go in the house in the event of an earthquake. Have these often too, maybe 3-4 times a year.

Spiritual Assignment (continue to read the Book of Mormon as an individual or family, read the following scriptures this week):

Date------Page----Thru Chapter

Oct 31----186 ----Mosiah 20
Nov 1-----193----Mosiah 23
Nov 2-----199----Mosiah 26
Nov 3-----204----Mosiah 28
Nov 4-----210----Alma 1
Nov 5-----215----Alma 3
Nov 6-----223----Alma 5

Food Storage Ideas:

Where can I purchase food and non-food items for our Food Storage and Emergency Preparedness?

1) The best source is your local grocery store. Only purchase items when on sale and watch the expiration dates. Be very careful of discount stores like the 99 Cent Store, Dollar General, etc., their food items usually expire pretty quickly. You want them to last at least a year, some items are only good for 6-9 months. Do not purchase dented cans or opened packages.

2) LDS Dry Pack Cannery (2730 E. 12th St., Los Angeles, nex to the DI)--You can make an appointment and put together you own dry pack #10 cans of food (dehydrated). Let them know which food items you want to do, usually best not to do more than 2-3 different kinds of food. When there you can also purchase any food items canned by members on the shelf, these are extra they did and did not want. Their prices are very reasonable. Good family activity or get together with a friend or another couple. You must be 16 to run the machine. 14 years can go and can fill the cans but not use the machine. Check to see if you can bring younger than 14 years old to help out. Check out the church LDS Dry Pack Cannery website to see what food items you can can and the cost. I am hoping to set up a day on a Saturday at the Dry Pack Cannery for our Ward. There is a limit of how many can go due to space.

Great News! I just found out you can put your food in the Mylar Pounches too at the Dry Pack Cannery. Now you have a choice, the #10 cans or the pouches.

LDS Dry Pack Cannery website: Go to providentliving.org, click on Home Storage Center Order Form or put in search box. Choose the way you want to down the form to print it out, I used the PDF file.


You can also purchase cases (6 #10 cans) of pinto beans and rice for a reasonable price.




3) Freeze-dried or Dehydrated Foods are your next best choice, which come in the #10 cans or Mylar bags. There are some great companies out there you can order online from and one you can go to in Rancho Cucamonga, about an hour from us.

a) Online Companies--If you want to purchase from an online company I have found EmergencyEssentials.com have the lowest prices. Even with sale items from other online companies I have found they are the lowest. They also carry Mountain House products. And another great thing, the most you will ever pay for shipping is $12, even if it is a truck full. Their shipping prices are either $6, $9 or $12, depending on how much you order.

Great News! EmergencyEssestinals.com has new smaller freeze-dried and dehydrated cans--MyChoice--What a great idea! They have just started selling freeze-dried and dehydrated foods in smaller cans, #2.5 cans. They still offer the #10 cans. The new #2.5 cans are great for those who want the option of the smaller cans and not having to open the larger ones and worry about using it up fast enough. Check out their website for this new size can.

Other online companies are Shelf-Reliance and Food for Health International. There are many others online too.

Shelf-Reliance I find expensive.

Food for Heath International--I like their products, can be a little expensive, but I like the way they package their food, it is all natural, no preservatives, just add water and they taste good. They come in packages, each package usually make 5 servings, and then the packages are placed in a large plastic bucket. They keep for 20+ years. Why I like this way? When you open the #10 cans of freeze-dried or dehydrated food cans you have to use them within a few months, plus the cans can rust if not stored properly. Watch for sales. We have some of these ourself.

b) Honeyville Foods in Rancho Cucamonga (11600 Dayton Drive). The store is clean, organized and well stocked. Go with a friend or two to check it out.

Remember: This Sunday by 9:00am is the last time for this month to put in your name and comment on this blog posting for this Sunday's FREE Monthly Giveaway Drawing to be held Sunday, October 30th. Everyone will want this item for their 72 Hour Family Emergency Bag.