I started "The Prepared Family" newsletter while I was working as the ward welfare and family preparedness specialist. It was after much thought and prayer that this newsletter came about. I was unsure what I could do to assist members and their families become better prepared without over-stressing. Since most folks believe they don't have the money, space, time, or knowledge about what to do when it comes to food and non-food storage, it seemed that I was fighting an uphill battle. It was then that "The Prepared Family" came into being. I started with only one page of text that was published every other month. It included directions on how to get to the cannery, when dry/wet pack canning events were scheduled, gardening tips, dry pack storage life and other information that would make storage more manageable. After I was released from my Ward calling in 1997 which I held for many years, Sister Pam Anderson and I were asked to work in the Stake as Emergency and Family Preparedness Specialists. When Pam and I started our callings, I thought it would be nice to give a copy of the newsletter to members of the Stake to assist in their family preparedness. Pam agreed and I increased the newsletter to two pages. I had great response from the stake and ward leaders. President Anderson even took it to regional events and shared with other leaders to help them start their own family preparedness programs. After a year I decided to place the newsletter online and share it with others. It is now 3-5 pages long and includes areas of focus such as storage, physical activities, FYI, recipes on how to use your food storage, emergency & provident living tips and ideas, gift ideas, and web links. The Prepared Family newsletter is now in use in many parts of the U.S. and around the world. I could never have thought what began as a dream has become a great help to so many people. |