Do Mormons really hoard food?

Yes, we store food. Not hoard. Store. Every definition I know of for hoarding implies some sort of a guarded or secret stash. Mine is in my basement. No secret, no security guard.

Food storage is not a new idea. Joseph helped Egypt put away food for the seven years of famine that would follow their seven years of plenty. That ultimately allowed Joseph to help his brothers when the table was empty.

We encourage our members to have a years' supply of their needs - food, fuel, clothing - and some monetary reserves as well. That makes us a practical religion, don't you think? I finally got my food storage up to par in late 2007 and early 2008. Until then I'd been making rather weak attempts, but the Prophet was teaching the idea with renewed emphasis, so I decided to get my act together. How's 2009 looking to you right now?

The storage principle is not limited to economic recessions - it is emphasized that we cannot predict the source of adversity (job loss, disability, natural disaster, and so on), so we prepare rather broadly.

In fact, it is not limited to temporal issues. By building an ongoing habit of frugality and preparation you can be ready to withstand all kinds of problems. Think about it - the person whose character has been tempered to avoid excess, strengthen reserves, and live in moderation, is ultimately the kind of person that you probably want for a spouse, an employer, a neighbor.

One of the tenets of the Mormon faith is that no commandment is given that is temporal alone - they all have a spiritual angle. You do not have to be financially strong to endure an economically strong period. By the same token, a spiritually weak person can do just fine when their social condition is strong. But what about when people around you start acting like, well, people? How are you going to handle that emotionally? How are you going to handle situations that are imposed on you - that are outside your control? Death? Illness? Betrayal? Insult? Injury? Deceit? Abuse? If you have built an emotional reserve (and this is done through careful use of your time every day - reading, studying, meditating - fasting, worshipping) - you will be just fine. You can hold up under all sorts of adversity if you do the right things ahead of time. And you can even be a great benefit to your neighbor, just as Joseph was to his brothers.