Posted on 03/08/2009 9:58:10 AM PDT by thecodont
Unemployed for a year and with an ailing wife at home, Mike Hammer stepped out of his truck in a Concord strip mall and walked into the heart of one of the most sophisticated private welfare systems in the country.
Here, in a plain white box of a building, Hammer and other Mormons come to get groceries - everything from produce to meats, much of which comes from Mormon-owned farms and cattle ranches.
Others come for counseling, employment help and a self-canning facility, where observant Mormons can up to a year's worth of food supplies in the event of an emergency. All services in the building, known as a Bishops' Storehouse, are intended to promote Mormon self-sufficiency.
"I'm not asking for money or somebody to do things for me," said Hammer, 36, a Brentwood father of three who carried away bread, milk, eggs, cheese, fruits and vegetables. "It's eased up finances a little bit."
The breadth and sophistication of Mormon social networks was glimpsed during the Proposition 8 campaign. But the recession and the increased demand it's putting on Mormon storehouses give a unique look into the elaborate organization of a religious group gaining influence in America.
(Excerpt) Read more at sfgate.com ...
The Mormons have it right in this category......yes, they’ll help you out but you have to give back in labor.
I did not know that. I know some Mormons and they keep a years worth of food in their basement. Is this food in addition to that?
Yes it is in additions to the one year food supply, those centers are more like Food Banks and Employment Skill Centers as well as volunteer centers.
The LDS really does a great job of organizing and then actually implementing those things.
Generally, what is stored in their homes is non-perishable stuff. The Food Bank offers fresh produce, eggs, etc., that obviously would not store for long periods of time. The system requires members to put in time stocking shelves, loading/unloading, perhaps even with the harvesting or acquisition, office work, building maintenance, etc. I remember my neighbors in Utah when I was a kid, going to help out on the church farm, or going to assist at the center.
I’m willing to be that in the event of world wide disaster devestating the human race, the last survivors will be Mormans.
Marvin Olasky’s, “The Tragedy of Compassion in America” describes in great detail the informal social network that took care of the poor before it became “the government’s job” to do so.
I highly recommend it, as it’s got a log of facts in it that are useful for brain-slapping liberals (just made that one up- the mental equivalent of a bitch-slap).
So you can go there to get a job too, not just free food? A job that pays? Or is it a volunteer job you are expected to do for free in exchange for the free food?
Do you have to be a mormon to donate or get work there? or get food there?
THe problem is, the government does it for the power. NOt for the good will and compassion.
I highly recommend it, as it’s got a log of facts in it that are useful for brain-slapping liberals (just made that one up- the mental equivalent of a bitch-slap).
Here's also a little illustration of California politics:
Oakland (9th Congressional District, D-Barbara Lee): Prime Time grocery store on Telegraph Avenue (takes WIC coupons for fresh/perishable groceries)
Concord (7th Congressional District, D-George Miller): Mormon Bishop's Storehouse in strip mall
Both cities/districts represented by Democrats, but California becomes more conservative as you move inland.
Don’t worry, the government will declare this food hording and steal it all to redistribute it to the needy.
No need to panic people and welfare recipients, you will all get your fair share. (after the government takes what they want first)
I disagree. There is only one group out there who would have a chance at long-term survival. The amish. They grow their own food, put it away for a year and then grow more for the next. All this without electricity.
It’s easy to buy and put food in the basement. Growing it is another matter.
The LDS church also has welfare farms, mainly in the West, though. And that doesn’t count farms that members own that contribute to the Bishop’s warehouse.
“so its news to san francisco that churchs help the needy? leave it to the libtards to be shocked by that - and to frame it in terms of a government program”
Yeah, how dare they try to perform a function that should only be done by the government. /s
Orson Scott Card wrote several books to this effect.
The Mormons have the best social structure of any religious organization in America. If I could give up my coffee and my occasional drink, I’d think about joining.
But how are they at defending against the zombies who will roam the land in a breakdown???
+++
A bunch of good questions.
Look around here and see if it answers your questions.
http://www.providentliving.org/
Sad to say, but Mormons and their church probably have big crosshairs on them because of their prudence and thriftiness. In the event of a full economic collapse and 20+ percent unemployment (and we are well on our way to that) a Democrat Congress and the Obama administration would likely pass so-called anti-hoarding laws and use them to confiscate foodstuffs and other commodities from the Mormon Church and individual Mormons. Or, violent hungry people will identify and target the nearest Mormon families with the intention of looting their food supplies. No share. Just kill and take. I hope the Mormon Church has a contingency plan for dealing with these nasty scenarios.
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