Farmington West Provident Living

 Although the "suggested focus" each month is a way to guide us through creating, adding to, rotating our food storage, kits and emergency supplies, it is only a suggestion.  Sometimes, we just need to work in a little here and there, the point is to DO SOMETHING each month to be prepared for future needs. Our household has owned a wheat grinder/flour mill for more than 40 years.  Never been used.  A few years ago, we purchased a "hand crank" mill for our preparedness supplies.  I grew up watching my mother grind wheat and bake bread each week.  Mostly as a way to rotate our HUGE store of wheat.  I came from a large family and my folks believed in food storage!  Many a FHE was spent price comparing between grocery stores and then calculating a plan of action.  We each had our assignment and pad of paper to "research" our products and write down the prices.  It was a blast at the time, as an adult, now, it is a chore.  Thank goodness...

There has been a great deal of focus on Emergency Evacuation preparedness in light of the recent fires in California.  Emergency supplies and Food Storage should be reviewed regularly, at least yearly. Now is as good a time as any to review, create and/or update your "Get-Out-and-GO" kit.    Here  is a list of items most common for a quick evacuation kit.  If you cannot store an entire kit together, keep a list nearby of the items to be gathered at the last minute, including where they are located in the house so that another can help gather if needed.  Here is a LINK to our Emergency Kit resource page.  There are several types of kits listed, with tips of what to include.  Adapt the list to fit your households needs. Review with your family / household your evacuation plan. Designate a meeting spot if the emergency (as in a fire) requires everyone to get themselves out.  Have a plan where to go and what to take with you if you are given a w...

  Still a very good article resource, so let's start the new year with a review! What am I supposed to have in my food storage? There are three main components of food storage: Food supply (three-month and long-term) Water supply Financial reserve Store foods that are a part of your normal diet in your three-month supply. As you develop a longer-term storage, focus on food staples such as wheat, rice, pasta, oats, beans, and potatoes that can last 30 years or more. Click  HERE  to read the entire article, complete with MORE links and great information! 

 From simple to extreme, the gift of preparedness is multi-fold.  Giving physical items to family members and/or friends not only helps them on their journey to provident living, but also gives them the feeling of being loved and cared about.   Grown children come to realize the importance of being prepared as they move out and start their own households.  Young children always love a flashlight or a small battery powered lantern.  Having the knowledge you have even a small collection of preparedness items tucked away can bring great peace to ones self being.   Consider giving such items to those you love (including YOURSELF!)  Have a great Holiday Season!   We are excited for renewed goals and plans to help you in your endeavors of living providently.  Watch for your monthly newsletters and let's make 2025 a fabulously PROVIDENT year!

  Wow what a month.  While life goes on here, anticipating the big wind, earthquake, evacuation... Most of us thinking, it will never happen... It will.  The question is when. Will we be ready? I personally have several family members in Florida and North Carolina, where multiple Hurricanes and storms have caused havoc.  All of my family and friends are alive, however they have lost much.  Their local friends and their families, some have lost everything.  Except the clothes on their backs and the evacuation supplies they were able to have ready to go.  BIG testament to having a 72 hour kit, ready to travel.  Many people from those areas, didn't have anything left to come home to and are starting from scratch with the little they took with them. In North Carolina, in the mountains above Bat Cave and Asheville, there is a little community of 10 households.  When the floods from Hurricane Helene came through, many of their homes were severely d...

  As a matter of fact, Canning Season is coming to a close in my household and I presume most of you that "Can" your garden produce are either right in the thick of it, or also winding down.  The cooler temps have been nice to slow things down just a little bit so we can catch up! If you don't already preserve foods by canning but would like to learn, check with your ward and inquire if you have a "Food Storage and Canning Specialist".  Many wards do. If your ward does not have a specific person to assist with this, I would bet there is someone in your neighborhood that does their own and most likely would be glad to give tips and share some tricks of the process.  I would be happy to help if you need me.  Just send me an e-mail! (you can find it on the Stake Blog.) T here are two different types of canning, water-bath canning and pressure canning.  Water-bath canning is used to preserve foods that have a higher acidity such as jams, jellies, and most fruit...

It's a good time for everyone to take a look at just how prepared they are for any emergency that may arise.  Up to this point we have mostly talked about 3 day to 3-6 month supply and a few longer term solutions, i.e. dehydrated and freeze dried foods.   Most things we buy at case lot sales or grow in our gardens are short term solutions unless they are dehydrated or freeze dried and then packaged for longer term storage. In order to make the things we buy for our storage last as long as possible they all need to be packaged in a way that will ensure the longest shelf life.   For example, in order to make a bag of flour last for 20-25 years it would be best to put it in a 5 gallon bucket or mylar bags with the proper amount of oxygen absorbers in it.   Another great way to add long term storage to your food is buying it in #10 cans.  They have a long shelf life and the church offers great deals on these items.  These are a great solution for thos...

   Now is a good time to build or refresh your various preparedness kits. Check the Blog  HERE  to find several lists and types of kits, including what you may want to include in them. Since every household and family is different, their kits should be different too.  Adapt your kit(s) to fit your needs and each family member may have different items included.  Create an extra "Household Kit" to include shared items such as cooking supplies, shelter and fuel etc.  Don't forget your pets!