Two friends looking for support on their preparedness mission – that is how the preparedness blog Safely Gathered In got its start. Hannah and Abbie, both wives of medical students, began blogging to encourage themselves to learn more about food storage and emergency preparedness. It also was a way to help them be accountable to each other and their readers. With minimal time, money and space they have still managed to make emergency preparedness a priority. Their blog not only shares inpspiration, but tutorials, tips and even favorite food storage recipes.

Today, we have an interview with Hannah. She has shared a little more about the sites founding and her emergency preparedness beginnings. We’ll share the first half of her interview today and the next half – which is about gardening – next Tuesday. 

“The best place to have some food set aside is within our homes, together with a little money in savings. The best welfare program is our own welfare program.”    -President Gordon B. Hinckle

What inspired you to begin Safely Gathered In and what continues to inspire you?

Hannah: After General Conference in April 2008, I couldn’t stop thinking about food storage and how I needed to get started on it.  I don’t think it was highlighted all that much during conference, but I couldn’t get it out of my mine.

For years I had put it off, telling myself that it was ok, because my husband is in medical school and we don’t have any money.  Also, we live in a small house with minimal storage.  However, I finally came to the realization that it didn’t matter what my circumstances were.  Our prophet has given us a commandment to have food storage and to be prepared; who was I to think I was exempt from that?  So, I talked to my best friend Abbie and invited her to start a food storage blog with me.  That way, we could keep ourselves accountable and also try to make it a little fun and help other people in the process.  And that’s how Safely Gathered In was born!

How has being prepared blessed your family?

Hannah: Being prepared is such a blessing – it brings our family peace of mind.  If something were to happen, if we were short on cash, or if there was a natural disaster, we wouldn’t have to worry about how to feed our family.  That’s a huge blessing!

Also, we are able to help other people who are in need, by bringing a meal to them. Finally, we are able to save money because we can buy certain foods only when they are on deep discount.  This is a big deal for us since my husband is in medical school right now.

For those trying to start somewhere, where do your recommend beginning? (food storage? 72-hour kits? gardening?)

Hannah: Definitely the first thing to do is sit down and make a plan.  Decide how much long-term food you need (there’s a link to a food calculator on our site).  For your three-month supply, make a 12 week menu plan and then write up a master grocery list from there (12 cans of this, 20 boxes of that, etc).  That way, you can stock up on items only when they are on sale.  So, having a plan is important.  As far as 72-hour kits go, you can start these any time.  Just make a list of what you need (you can find one on our site), and gather one or two items (or more, if you want) per week.  That way it’s not too overwhelming or expensive.

What is the biggest challenge with food storage that you’ve had to overcome?

Hannah: The biggest food storage challenge is probably motivation.  It’s so easy to just throw your hands up and give up.  It can be time consuming, and it takes a lot of upkeep (rotating your food, keeping an inventory of what you have, etc.), and it costs money (even though you are saving in the long run, it’s still hard).  I go through stages where sometimes I’m extremely exciting about the whole thing, but other times I just feel “blah” about it.

Thanks Hannah! We’ll finish up with the interview next Tuesday, but make sure to visit Safely Gathered In for some great inspiration and ideas.