A few weeks ago, we shipped a huge box of our freeze-dried foods to my daughter and grandkids who were right in the path of Hurricane Florence. Even though most of us have moved on and the hurricanes are old news already, people in the hard-hit areas are still putting lives back together. My daughter was one of the lucky ones, and her home was intact, in spite of being only five minutes from the Atlantic in one of the hardest hit cities. Even so, there was financial damage due to lost work that she is still struggling to overcome. This week, she had to choose between paying the rent and buying groceries.

In my preparedness workshops, I often talk about doing little things now, so that in times of hardship, you can focus on the immediate needs. Having a food storage program is one of the easiest ways to do this, since we all have to eat. We know that offsetting that cost a little bit at a time while things are good just makes sense.

We have had a food storage reserve for over ten years. However, shipping most food across the country would be insanely expensive, and sometimes giving our children money just isn’t in the cards. We live on a budget, too. My food storage is built with clearance and sale items, home grown foods, and my own labor. It is economical for us.

Last night, we got a picture of their dinner, which included some of my freeze-dried grilled chicken breasts. This was her first time rehydrating meats, and she was so impressed with the texture and flavor.

 Meanwhile in another part of the world, Indiana, we were hit this weekend with high straight-line winds. Power outages, trees down, and several fires were the highlights. The corn field behind our home was standing tall in the morning, and laid over like it had been harvested by evening. One of the trailers on our property had a broken window. One of our trees snapped.

It doesn’t take a hurricane or storm to impact our lives. Job loss, economic downturns, illness, and many other changes may affect us just as severely as having our home washed away. Being able to zone in on those situations, knowing that your family will eat well, and that whatever money you have can help with the current needs or major bills, is key.

Harvest Right has changed the face of my food storage in incredible ways, but the intent is the same. My plan was always to have back up rations to carry us through hard times. My food storage has seen us through long ten-month layoffs, injuries, and financial hardships. We have helped family, friends, and acquaintances in their hard times. We will always have food storage, and now we can secure these foods in a nutritionally stable form for many, many years, and know that they are also going to taste great. Just ask my daughter.