A day at the cannery.

Today was spent at the cannery with my mommy. And I can officially say that the Hicks family has a full year supply of food storage! Oh man alive, It's a lot of work! Totally worth it, and the work goes fast, and it was really nice to have some time with just my mom. My poor van, that thing was LOADED down with who knows how many pounds of food. The back bumper was literally inches off the road. It was a long and slow drive home!
I wasn't expecting this to be a spiritual experience, but when I walked in I knew that Mike and I had made the right choice for our family to exercise faith and hearken the council of latter day prophets. It's not cheap to do. It takes faith. I was so anxious about spending the money, and honestly struggled with the decision. Never the less, we made the choice and did it. While there we met a family who you could tell didn't have much, But they had a testimony of hearkening the prophets council and were there and were sacrificing a lot of other things so that they could get their food storage in order. All I could think of was... "Oh Kyrsten, Oh ye of little faith." If they can sacrifice and make it a priority in their lives, what the heck has your excuse been? I regret to say that for a long time I put the material wants of the world ahead of securing stability for my family's welfare. I am thankful that we have this part of our life in order, and I can tell you, It's a very peaceful feeling.
A few quotes if I may...

" If you knew what I knew, you would pile it (food storage) in the middle of the floor, throw a cloth over it, and walk around it" - President Harold B. Lee

"When we really get into hard times where food is scarce or there is none at all, and with clothing and shelter, money may be no good, for there may be nothing to buy, and you can not eat money" - " Elder Reuben J. Clark" 

“The revelation to store food may be as essential to our temporal salvation today as boarding the ark was to the people in the days of Noah.”
-Ezra Taft Benson

"Many more people could ride out the storm-tossed waves in their economic lives if they had their year's supply of food . . . and were debt-free. Today we find that many have followed this counsel in reverse: they have at least a year's supply of debt and are food-free." Thomas S. Monson 

And may I add that we have been told not to go into debt to acquire food storage. That defeats the purpose.  And if you're thinking to yourself, " I don't have any where to put that much food..." get over it. I live in a 1400 square foot town house with 5 people. We found room, and you will too. 


“Should the Lord decide at this time to cleanse the Church -- and the need for that cleansing seems to be increasing – a famine in this land of one year's duration could wipe out a large percentage of slothful members, including some ward and stake officers. Yet we cannot say we have not been warned.” -Ezra Taft Benson
-This one got to me. 
 
Our families one year supply consists of the following.
All of these are number 10 cans.
6 pancake mix
24 quick oats
24 old fashioned oats
36 wheat 
12 white flour
12 macoroni
24 white rice
24 spheghetti
12 black beans
14 pinto beans
24 pwd milk
12 potato flakes
6 germade
6 corn meal
6 freeze dried roast beef
6 FD ground beef
12 FD chicken cubes
3 ham
6 Barley 
12 powdered egg
6 brown sugar
12 sugar
1 sour cream pwd
6 whole wheat flour
43 pounds of brown rice 
12 lbs. of honey
2 - Green Peas (Freeze Dried) - 41 servings per can/ 82 total servings per package
3 - Sweet Corn (Freeze Dried) - 46 servings per can/ 138 total servings per package
2 - Potato Chunks - 25 servings per can/ 50 total servings per package
1 - Split Green Peas - 46 servings per can/ 46 total servings per package
2 - Broccoli (Freeze Dried) - 52 servings per can/ 104 total servings per package
2 - Bell Peppers - 42 servings per can/ 84 total servings per package
4 - Potato Beads - 44 servings per can/ 176 total servings per package
3 - Sweet Potatoes - 43 servings per can/ 129 total servings per package
4 - Carrot Dices - 49 servings per can/ 196 total servings per package
2 - Potato Dices - 41 servings per can/ 82 total servings per package
2 - Spinach (Freeze Dried) - 45 servings per can/ 90 total servings per package
1 - Chopped Onions - 45 servings per can/ 45 total servings per package
2 - Cauliflower - 42 servings per can/ 84 total servings per package
2 - Banana Slices (Freeze Dried) - 49 servings per can/ 98 total servings per package
2 - Blackberries (Freeze Dried) - 49 servings per can/ 98 total servings per package
2 - Blueberries (Freeze Dried) - 50 servings per can/ 100 total servings per package
3 - Mangoes (Freeze Dried) - 47 servings per can/ 141 total servings per package
2 - Peach Slices (Freeze Dried) - 42 servings per can/ 84 total servings per package
1 - Pineapple Chunks (Freeze Dried) - 41 servings per can/ 41 total servings per package
3 - Raspberries (Freeze Dried) - 48 servings per can/ 144 total servings per package
3 - Strawberries (Freeze Dried) - 45 servings per can/ 135 total servings per package
3 - Apple Chips - 47 servings per can/ 141 total servings per package
3 - Banana Chips - 45 servings per can/ 135 total servings per package
3 - Pineapple - 41 servings per can/ 123 total servings per package
3 - Apple Slices - 48 servings per can/ 144 total servings per package
2- cheddar cheese
1 colby cheese
2 monty jack cheese
1 mozzarella cheese
55 gallons of drinking water

I think that's it... But I'm sure I've forgotten something. Don't try to get it all at once, focus on 3 months at a time, then do that again...and again...and again. And you're there! You can do it. And there are always people to help.