Food Storage Verses Food Hoarding

It may seem trite to some, but to my way of belief and understanding there is a chasm of difference between food storage and food hoarding.

One of the largest of the numerous difference is that true food storage involves intent to provide for one's family and share with those in need who live near or are also in need. Hoarders have no intent to share. They are thinking only of themselves and their family.

Another difference between storage and hoarding is the use or lack thereof of stored items. Hoarders will purchase and locate space and even time to organizing and so forth, but they will purchase items with extreme shelf-life with little intent of using or cycling their food hoard. True food storers keep a cycling pantry storage of grocery store items as well as longer-term food resources that they keep in continuous use. FIFO: first in, first out. The first items purchase are the first items used. The last items purchased are moved into head position as the first items are consumed. There are really great shelving systems (the link is only one of many out there) avaialable on the market. Additionally, you can make your own food storage cycling shelves by building them with a little bit of slant from higher at load point to a couple of inches lower at remoal point. This is one of our family's goals.

Those who build truly usable food storage supplies know, because they plan to and implement use of said food stores in their regular meal planning and daily life, that they must purchase foods that they can and will consume. Food hoarders don't necessarily think of the practical application of food storage and are more motivated by fear than real intent. They buy, primarily, grain, sweetener (like honey), dried milk, legumes, maybe some dehydrated eggs, and salt and, if they have a large enough supply of these things (like a year or two for each person in their family), they feel accomplished and relief from fear. This is, I must admit, the sort of supply we were able to aquire the first time we bought a year's-supply of food (for one person). And it was sufficient and provided sustenance for more than three months, but it was very difficult to use (because it was not in our regular diet and because we were not rotating it in on a regular/daily basis). Said food resource added to the stress of that difficult and already stressful time. It was a blessing, but could have been better if we had been wiser.

I've already mentioned the one of the biggest differences between hoarders and storers and I've alluded to another difference in the preceeding paragraph. Now I'm going to specify the latter: food storers are motivated by Faith, while food hoarders are motivated more by Fear. This is my opinion (and from experience). Take it or leave it.

Stay tuned for more on food storage - as I see it! I'm working on every Tuesday for a while and then it may move to monthly posts about food storage with other subjects throughout the rest of the month.

Eat Well,
J.G.