A Century of Counsel: Why Latter-day Saints Store Food

I'm a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and if there's one thing people outside my faith seem to know about us, it's that we keep food storage. Maybe you've heard that members try to keep a year of food in the basement and wondered why.

It's a fair question. If you've ever searched for "why do Mormons store food," you're not alone. (Most members today prefer the full name of the Church, but I understand that "Mormon" is the word most people know.) The short answer is that our leaders have been asking us to do it for a very long time. The longer answer is a lot more interesting, and I think it has something to say to everyone, no matter what church you attend or whether you attend one at all.

Nearly a Hundred Years of the Same Counsel

The Church has urged its members to be prepared for almost a hundred years. That counsel really took hold during the Great Depression, when so many families found out how quickly things can fall apart. People lost jobs, savings disappeared, and a lot of good, hardworking folks didn't know where their next meal was coming from.

Out of that hard time came a steady, repeated message from Church leaders: store food, stay out of debt, learn to provide for your own family, and be ready to help your neighbors. That message has been repeated in one form or another ever since. It shows up in talks, in Church publications, and in the way local congregations organize and encourage their members.

But the idea itself is older than the Depression. Preparation has been talked about in the Church since the days of Joseph Smith, the Church's first prophet, back in the 1800s. The early members lived through being driven from their homes more than once and then crossing the plains to settle in the West. They learned in their bones what it means to depend on what you've put away.

The Example of Joseph of Egypt

If there's one story that gets used more than any other to teach this principle, it's the story of Joseph of Egypt in Genesis 41.

You probably remember it. Pharaoh had two troubling dreams. In one, seven fat cows came up out of the river and were eaten by seven thin, sickly cows. In the other, seven full ears of grain were swallowed up by seven thin, blighted ones. Nobody in Egypt could explain them. Joseph, who had been sold into slavery by his brothers and later thrown into prison, was brought out to interpret.

He told Pharaoh that seven years of great plenty were coming, followed by seven years of famine so severe that the good years would be forgotten. Then he gave practical advice. Set aside a portion of the harvest during the good years. Store it up. Keep it safe for the hard years.

Pharaoh put Joseph in charge, and that's exactly what he did. When the famine came, Egypt had bread. People came from other lands to buy grain, including Joseph's own brothers, the very ones who had sold him. Because Joseph prepared, his whole family was saved.

I love that story because it shows that preparation is not a lack of faith. Joseph trusted God completely. He also filled the granaries. Those two things went together.

It's About Self-Reliance, Not Fear

I want to be clear about something, because I think people sometimes get the wrong impression. Food storage in my church isn't about hiding in a bunker or expecting the end of the world next Tuesday. It's mostly about something called self-reliance.

The idea is simple. When a family can take care of its own needs, it's in a better position to weather a job loss, an illness, a natural disaster, or a rough patch in the economy. And a family that's taken care of itself has something left over to share. A full pantry can help a neighbor get through a hard month just as surely as it helps your own children.

Of course, I also believe bigger calamities are coming, and some of them are already here. The world feels less steady than it used to. That's a big part of why I built this website. But the everyday reasons for food storage matter just as much as the dramatic ones.

A Resource Few People Know About

Here's something I wish more people knew. The Church runs what it calls Home Storage Centers. I usually call them the bishops' storehouses, and you'll hear me use that name too. (A bishop is the volunteer leader of a local congregation.) They're located across the country, and the part that sells long-term food is open to the public. You don't have to be a member to shop there. There's also an online store if there isn't one near you.

They sell the basics: wheat, rice, beans, oats, and other staples that keep for many years when they're stored properly. The prices are fair, and the guidance that comes with them is based on solid nutrition. Honestly, these storehouses are an astonishingly great resource, and very few people use them the way they could.

If you want to see what your family would need, and what it would cost to buy it there, I built a free Food Storage Calculator that lines up with the Church's own order form. For water, fuel, cooking, and heat, the Family Planner covers the rest. Neither one asks you to sign up, and neither one stores anything you type in.

You're Welcome Here

If you came to this page as someone outside my faith, wondering what all the food storage fuss is about, I hope you feel welcome. You don't have to share my beliefs to learn from a hundred years of practical counsel, or from a story about a young man in Egypt who listened when he was warned.

I'm not a preacher, and I don't speak for the Church. I'm just a member who has taken this counsel seriously and wants to pass along what I've learned. Start where you are. A few weeks of food is better than none, and three months is a wonderful goal.

A Thought to Carry With You

Joseph didn't know exactly when the famine would come. He only knew it was coming, and he used the good years well. Most of us are living in our own years of plenty right now, even if they don't always feel that way. Whatever your faith, I believe God blesses the people who take the warnings seriously and prepare while they still can. The granary is filled one harvest at a time, and so is a life of faith.