Food Storage in the News

Several weeks ago (it was the mid multiple funeral period, which is why I didn't post it then) I found a couple of articles that I was pretty excited about. The first was in the LDS Church News on January 20, 2011. It was an article talking about the humanitarian work that is happening in Lima, Peru. The Johannes Gutenberg Cultural Association has partnered with the welfare department of the The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints to create a breakfast assistance program for children living in poverty in Lima. Each weekday the Gutenberg association provides breakfast for more than 11,000 impoverished children in the Lima area. And it's not just a hand-out, the organization is trying to teach people to be self-sufficient. Parents are encouraged to come and prepare the meals that are given to these children. Hours before the food is served, parents come in to scrub pots, pans and cups, wash and chop fruit and cook the food that is served to the children. What a great story, no? When I read this I thought "Hey, this story is about food storage!" The breakfast that these parents are preparing consist of a cup of apple oatmeal and a small roll. Oatmeal is cheap, has a long shelf-life, is easy to prepare, nutritious and easy to store and transport, making it perfect for this project. I think it goes back to the idea that food storage is about being like Christ. We store food to strengthen ourselves and our families and to serve others when the need arises.

The second article was in the LDS Church News on February 5, 2011. The story was about a solution to hunger in DR Congo. DR Congo is a country in Africa that is still recovering from the effects of a long civil war where a rooty vegetable known as cassava is a dietary staple. Cassava grows well in poor soil with little rainfall and can be harvested year-round. (I imagine cassava being something like the African equivalent of a potato.) Recently cassava fields have been decimated by disease causing much unemployment and starvation. LDS Charities worked with Congo locals and a Nigerian charity called IITA to find a solution to this problem. IITA had developed a virus-free version of cassava. With the help of local Church leaders and two new tractors, 500 families were able to plant crops that were disease and drought resistant, lower in toxins, high yielding and early maturing. Then LDS charities and IITA built a processing facility, where the cassava is washed, peeled, processed and dried which improves tastes and makes it ready for long-term storage. Eureka! The solution to starvation in Africa is food storage. Well that and some agricultural assistance. (I am sure that me getting so excited about food storage in Africa officially makes me a total food storage nerd. But whatever, I can accept that.) I think this story is a good example of not only helping others to help themselves, but storing the food that works for you and your family.