The bishops storehouse is a concept introduced in 1831 by Joseph Smith. He received a revelation telling him to open up a storehouse in which goods should be preserved and kept for when the poor are in need of them. Basically, it was to be a regular storehouse where goods originating from donations be kept and then distributed to the needy when so requested.
Since then, the bishops storehouse has evolved greatly. While at first people were asked to fast during a Thursday and the food that they saved should be donated to the church, this changed in time, mainly due to the hardship of having to fast on a working day. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints decided that the first Sunday of every month should be fast offering day. The concept remained the same – fast for two meals and donate the food to the church. This also changed later when the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints decided it would be better and easier for members to simply donate money instead of food.
The funds are used to buy the goods needed in the bishops storehouse. It was a real hassle trying to manage the food donated in the old days. Nowadays, a bishop can decide exactly what is to be bought with the money donated. Hence, nobody will have problems getting what they want, when they need it from the storehouse. Moreover – the bishop can now get goods which are best suited for people with dietary restrictions.
Not only does a bishops storehouse store food, but it also has lots of household items, clothes, construction materials, a volunteer workforce and preparedness kits. People are expected to give something in return for the help they are given. Usually, this comes in the form of volunteer work at the storehouse. Imagine how many goods are stored there and how much manpower you really need to stack them up, organize and keep an inventory of everything in. It can get tricky, especially if you lack manpower. So this is the way the Church ensures the inner workings of its storehouses.
Many people do not understand the big hassle behind a bishops storehouse. But they also do not know the fact that the LDS Church was one of the first humanitarian societies to offer up their help, supplies and items to disasters like Hurricane Katrina. Their Deseret Transport Service packed up the goods in an instant and were well on their way before help was even asked of them. Thousands upon thousands of items were shipped to members and non-members alike.
This is the special thing about the storehouse – not only is it there for the poor and the needy, but it’s there as a backup to all your preparedness methods. You may have a 48 hour kit – but what happens after that? It’s always good to know that you still have options for yourself and your family, even in the most desperate times.
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