Church Clarifies Changes to Home Storage Centers

Contributed By From the Church News

  • 24 June 2013

Cannery black and white beans. Self-canning services are being discontinued, but members can still purchase the same pre-canned items at no additional cost.

Article Highlights

  • Changes are being made to most of the home storage centers located in the United States and Canada.
  • You can no longer can items yourself, but you may purchase pre-canned or prepackaged food at no additional cost.
  • Changes increase the Church’s ability to efficiently produce and ship goods in bulk, utilize less warehouse space, and allow for higher quality and safer preparation of home storage food.

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Over the past several weeks, misinformation and unnecessary concern has been circulating on blogs, over social media channels, and by email regarding changes in operations at the Church’s home storage centers, which are located in the United States and Canada. Here are some important facts:

No home storage centers are being closed.

In 89 of the Church’s 101 home storage centers in the U.S. and Canada, patrons will no longer self-can products, but they may purchase these same items pre-canned or prepackaged at no additional cost.

The following 12 home storage centers will continue to offer self-canning for the time being:

·      Lethbridge, Alberta, Canada

·      Mesa, Arizona

·      Boise, Idaho                                                     

·      Idaho Falls, Idaho

·      Carrollton, Texas

·      Lindon, Utah

·      Logan, Utah

·      Ogden, Utah

·      Salt Lake City, Utah (Welfare Square)

·      Sandy, Utah

·      Springville, Utah

·      St. George, Utah

While many individuals have enjoyed self-canning at the Church’s home storage centers, the advantages of providing pre-canned or prepackaged goods include:

· It’s more efficient and cost effective for the Church to produce and ship high-quality, pre-canned or prepackaged goods in bulk rather than ship the same goods and empty cans to a location where individuals can them on their own.

· By offering the goods pre-canned or prepackaged, the Church utilizes less warehouse space.

· Pre-canned and prepackaged operations allow for higher quality and safer preparation of home storage food.

· It is much more costly to maintain and upgrade facilities that must meet food production standards (such as in a self-canning operation) than it is to maintain a facility that simply distributes pre-canned and prepackaged food. 

· Volunteer personnel time can be used more efficiently.

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