Food Storage Family Night

Here is a Family Night Idea shared by Megan Roylance from the Edinburgh Ward

Family Home Evening on Food Storage

A great way to start family preparedness is by enlisting the help of your whole family. Becoming prepared, really, is a whole family endeavor. Preparedness projects such as stacking food storage, cooking, picking and canning produce, and growing a garden are much more fun as a family. Plus you get the added benefit of modeling preparedness and teaching your children as you go.

Family Home Evening is an ideal place to start implementing preparedness projects and teaching your children.

President Hinckley said, "We can begin ever so modestly. We can begin with one week's food supply and gradually build it to a month and then to three months. I am speaking now of food to cover basic needs. As all of you recognize, this counsel is not new. But 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, my brethren, and gradually build toward a reasonable objective" (in Conference Report, Oct. 2002, 65; or Ensign, Nov. 2002, 58).

Song: “Follow the Prophet”

Scripture: “If ye are prepared ye shall not fear” D&C 38:30

Lesson:  Read the following story.

“Make thee an ark of gopher wood; … And of every living thing … shalt thou bring into the ark, … And take … of all food that is eaten … ; and it shall be … for thee, and for them” (Gen. 6:14, 19, 21).

“Hey, Mom, I’m home!” I yelled, closing the door.

I hung up my coat (but it fell to the floor).

“Hello, dear,” Mom answered. “Come in here and see.”

And—like every day—I knew where she’d be.

Hands sticky with dough, flour dusting her cheek,

She looked at her bread loaves—enough for a week!

“All ready for baking,” she said with a smile.

“It’s good to make bread, though it does take a while.”

“Then why do you bother?” I asked, op’ning the door

Of the oven. “Why don’t we buy bread at the store?”

“Now, that would be easy,” Mom said with a sigh.

“No wheat to be ground, no yeast cakes to buy,

“No mixing the flour, no bread dough to knead—

All that takes much effort, and hard work, indeed.

“But if we don’t use what we keep stored away

In our food storage room, it will spoil and decay.”

“So why do we store all the food that we do,”

I questioned my mom, “when it’s so hard for you?”

“For years now,” Mom answered, “the Church leaders say

To keep one year’s food saved for a rainy day.

“In fact, you might think—and not just as a lark—

Our food storage room’s like our own Noah’s ark!

“We do as we’re told, just as Noah did back then.

Remember, he built it before the rain came!”

“But an ark?” I asked Mother. “I don’t understand

How an animal boat is like food, dried or canned?”

“Oh, you’d be surprised!” Mother said with a grin.

“Would you take this flour back to its storage bin?”

So down to the basement and into the dark

I hurried to board our own “Andersons’ Ark.”

There weren’t any lions there roaring aloud,

But I saw all the fruit we had canned, and felt proud.

I didn’t see bears, either growling or funny,

But I thought of the sweetness we get from our honey.

Though nary a glimpse of even one otter,

We’d never go thirsty—we’d jugfuls of water!

No rabbits were hopping about to and fro,

But canned garden veggies were neat in each row.

No cow was there to moo or to wink;

However, we’d powdered milk our family could drink.

No elephant stood there to trumpet a call,

But I saw our wheat stored—a half ton in all!

I looked everywhere, but there wasn’t a trace

Of one single animal found in that place.

I saw enough food for my parents to feed

The whole Anderson family if there’s ever a need.

We don’t know what problem, if any, we’ll face.

It’s good to be ready, prepared, just in case.

I went back upstairs to where Mom was still cooking.

“So how is our storage? You spent quite some time looking.”

“I know it’s important; I just can’t deny it.

And without all those animals, our ark’s much more quiet!”

(Debbie Davidson, “The Andersons’ Ark,” Friend, Nov 1990, 9–10)

Activity: Begin making a menu plan of what you eat regularly to help decide what food you need in your storage. Work on inventory and tracking sheets. Find and designate a place for your food storage. For younger children, have them help color a sign listing your family food storage goals, and hang in a regularly viewed place to remind you of your goals.

Treat: Find a recipe that uses only food storage items, or use the one below.

Camille's Granola Bars

1/2 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup corn syrup

1/2 cup peanut butter

1 tsp. vanilla

2 cups oats

2 1/2 cups rice krispie cereal

optional: chocolate chips, almonds, raisins, etc.

Start by putting the brown sugar and corn syrup on the stove to boil. While you're waiting, mix the oats and cereal together in a bowl and line a 9x13 pan with wax paper. When your mixture boils, remove from heat and add peanut butter and vanilla, stirring until combined. Add to the cereal and oats and stir until the oats and cereal are covered by the peanut butter mixture. If you are adding any extras, wait a few minutes until it's not so hot to stir them in. Dump the mixture into the pan and spread out evenly with your fingers. Wait 15-20 minutes, and then slice with a pizza cutter.