Historic Counsel: Clothing Creation and Storage

Provident Principles and Practices
© David Edwards, 2009

PRINCIPLES: President Wilford Woodruff said, “The day will come when, as we have been told, we shall all see the necessity of making our own shoes and clothing and raising our own food, and uniting together to carry out the purposes of the Lord. . . .” (Discourses, p. 166-67).
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President J. Reuben Clark, Jr. asked for every household leader to ensure that the household has food, clothing, and, if possible, fuel storage for at least a year. He further suggested that those without large incomes purchase clothing and food rather than bonds and stocks (General Conference, April 1937). He quipped that, when the time comes that food, clothing and shelter are not readily available and cannot easily be purchased, money may have limited value, because people will not be able to eat money, clothe themselves with it, or burn a sufficient quantity of it to stay warm (Church News, November 21, 1953, p.4).

Bishop John. H. Vandenberg asked that we seek to remove from ourselves any debt and obtain a supply of food, clothing and money in sufficient quantity to deal with an emergency (General Conference, October 1966).

In a message to the Church delivered on 6 October 1973, the First Presidency suggested that we consider both manmade and natural disasters when anticipating and planning for needs of our families. Manmade disasters that they mentioned include wars and depressions. Natural disasters that they mentioned include earthquakes, floods, and tornadoes. They also mentioned famines, which can have both natural and manmade causes. The First Presidency also recommended that those who need to move frequently or who live in smaller homes, who have limited capacity for storage, nevertheless store as much food, clothing and fuel as they can.

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Elder Ezra Taft Benson in General Conference, 1973, suggested that we plan and prepare to keep ourselves warm during winter months when shortages may exist by storing clothes for work and warmth. He also suggested that we think about accumulating leather and rolls of fabric.

L. Tom Perry encouraged Church members to elevate their priorities in regard to obtaining a one-year supply. He asked us whether we could help accomplish this by producing our own clothes, doing our own gardening, and preserving our own food (General Conference, October 1980).

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The Church counseled its members in a home production and storage guideline booklet to store enough clothing for the whole family for a year or more. The clothing ought to be able to meet the needs of different seasons. In addition, the Church encouraged members to store fabric, thread, needles and other sewing notions where possible (Essentials of Home Production & Storage, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 1978.)

Marion G. Romney said that it is vital for us to follow counsel to have a year’s supply of food and clothing (Ensign, April 1981, p. 6-7).

PRACTICES: Current Church counsel is to get out of debt, put aside a store of money, and obtain a three-month supply of foods that we regularly eat on an everyday basis. Following this, we are to obtain an extended supply of long-term storage foods. Beyond these objectives, the Church counsels us that we may choose to store other items that may be of use to us and our families in times of crisis. This may include clothing.

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Clothing can be stored both at home and in disaster supply kits. As intimated by some Church leaders historically, clothing may someday become scarce or unavailable in stores. We may thus greatly benefit from creating a long-term supply of work clothes and warm clothes, particularly if weather changes or we need to travel through colder areas. Consider also buying leather and bolts of cloth for storage. In addition, those of us without much knowledge or experience in sewing may wish to learn better how to make and mend clothes.

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