what in the world???

Question

Why do mormons keep their groceries in the basement, and store so much food there? Any special reason???

Good point Sarge but it is true for all, if they dont have a basement ,they have a garage, and if they dont have a garage then they have a kitchen, and if they dont have a kitchen then....well You've got me there!

Answer 1

It is food storage, set aside for a time of need. everyone should do it.

Answer 2

That can't be true for all Mormons because not all Mormons have homes with basements.

Answer 3

We are encouraged to keep a year's worth of food, in case of any emergency. That could be anything from the end of the world, to losing your job.

Answer 4

Stored for the "last days."

Answer 5

My guess: they are trying to keep separate from the world and prepare for "the end".

Answer 6

It is called a year supply it is food set aside for times of need (i.e. natural disasters, government unrest, etc.)

Mormons usually keep staple foods packaged to remain edible for years rotating the stock as they go along so everything is well within it's use by date..

It is in everyones best interest to have a supply of non perishable (canned and freeze dried) foods along with water stored and available should a disaster of any sort occur...

Storage of said supply is also important for instance people who live in areas prone to flooding should store the food in the attic or higher places rather than the basement..

In the last 20 years a 72 hour survival kit has also beens suggested..

The 72-hour survival kit
"Essentials of Home Production and Storage," a booklet published by the Mormon Church, suggests items to include in a three-day survival kit:

Food: A half-pound of canned tuna or pork and beans; a half-pound of nonfat dry milk; a pound of graham crackers; a pound of dried apricots; 46 ounces of canned orange or tomato juice; and a half-pound of peanut butter.
Water: 1 gallon.
Bedding: Blanket, cloth sheet, plastic sheet.
Clothing: One change of clothing.
Personal supplies: Toiletries, first-aid supplies, cleaning supplies.
Fuel and light: Battery-powered light, matches, candle.
Equipment: Can opener, dishes, utensils, flashlight, battery-powered radio, paper, pencil.
Personal documents: Legal documents, religious texts.
Money: Cash, including small-denomination bills and quarters.

With creative packing all that is required for a family of 4 can be contained in a large 55 gallon rubbermaid type trashcan..

I have a 72 hour survival kit setting in my livingroom right now.. It is packaged in a rubbermaid trashcan (obviously clean never used for trash) 55 gallon with wheels.. the lid is inverted and a 2 inch thick round of wood cut to fit inside the lid rim is on top.. It's covered in a circle of decorative fabric that drapes to the floor and sets next to my lazy-boy recliner as a side table with lamp etc on it..

Last week my daughters school teacher came over (he was picking up a kitten from our cats litter promised to his daughter) and asked where I got the side table his wife was looking for one the same height when I lifted the table skirt he said "It's a rubbermaid trashcan." I told him yes and told him what it contained.. His reaction was "You can scoop it up in a second and take it with you if you need to. And I would have never thought it was a trashcan." (Table skirt and inverted lid camoflage did it's job perfectly LOL)

Just last summer during wildfire season a fire came within 1/4 of a mile of my home.. I was able to remove the lamp and cloth dump the wood round snap on the lid and wheel the kit out and into the car in about 3 minutes when we got the evacuation order.. (I am 5'2 inches tall and weigh about 120 lbs soaking wet and very able to get the kit moved) I Had to dump some of the contents into the trunk before being able to lift the can in but that was nothing as all we needed was in the can...

I was driving away with my 3 children and all our indoor pets (The horses and other outdoor animals were moved earlier in the day in anticipation of the evac order.) within 15 minutes of receiving the evac order... I hit no traffic on the road out and it took me 20 minutes to drive to the evac center ( a high school 7 miles away)..

My neighbors told stories of traffic jams and 2 hour trips to the evac center when they arrived.. They worried about left behind legal papers and essential meds, they worried about all sorts of things they forgot... Mine was all safely in the trunk of the car.. (I did have to replace the crackers as they didnt survive being dumped into the trunk so well... they were still edible but dribbling crumbs so they got replaced.)

I am not mormon but have always seen the value in the year supply as well as the 72 hour survival kit.. What if my family wasn't able to get to the evac center? What if my family was cut off by a flood or other disaster and we have to go it alone for a while?

Just recently we all watched the plight of people caught in Hurricane Katrina.. Would a 72 hour survival kit have made a difference for some of them? You bet it would have.. (Please note I do not say all as many houses were many feet under water but those who were above the water line could have made good use of a survival kit to make the 5 days they were without help easier 3 days worth of supplies..)

The booklet published by the Mormon church is a very good guide on what to store and how to store it.. You may need to tweak it to your families tastes but it's still very comprehensive as to how much per person and what type things to store..


Addition: Where to store it?

Under the bed.. In the attic.. In the garage.. In a storage shed.. In the crawl space.. Under the sofa.. In trashcans as described above (they can be side tables, night stands etc.).... In the back of closets.. etc.

Be creative and you can store canned foods just about anywhere with no one the wiser about what's there..