An article from Associated Press reporter Brady McCombs aptly explains that members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints keep food storage and other supplies on hand to help themselves and others in times of need.
Rick Foster, manager of the Church's North American Humanitarian Services, tells McCombs it’s not about “preparing for this major calamity or major disaster or for Armageddon.” Rather, he says, “it’s about helping all of us individually to get through these bumps that occur in our lives.”
This is true for Foster himself. “When a water main broke in his neighborhood,” McCombs writes, “Foster's family was able to provide drinking water from their supply to a neighbor who needed water to make formula for her baby.”
McCombs notes that the Church has 143 grocery store-like storehouses full of food for members and others in need. In these storehouses, food and household items are provided to those who cannot afford them and who bring a written requisition signed by their local bishop. Recipients of commodities are given opportunities to work for what they receive, to the extent of their ability. McCombs also mentions the Church's 101 food storage centers that sell cans and bags of oats, wheat, sugar, potato flakes and beans.
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