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LDS Cannery in SC

13K views 19 replies 14 participants last post by  Teslin 
#1 ·
For anyone in SC or nearby...the LDS cannery in Columbia DOES allow non members to buy from there...But you have to make an appointment with them...I made mine today. Ironically...there is some other church in my area doing much the same thing as LDS but when you look at their prices it's clear to see that they are trying to make a profit because their prices are WAY higher than LDS.
 
#3 ·
Best price for everything it seems...wheat...rice..potatoe flakes....mylar bags...#10 cans...o2 absorbers....What a great minstry they have by doing this. I wish my southern baptist church had the same sense of urgency about having their members prepared...If i mentioned something about storing food they'd look at me with the crazy face...That's okay though...it's coming and there is plenty of evidence to see it...If they donm't prepare then it's their fault! I'm just trying to keep me, my wife and 4 boys alive!
 
#4 ·
I feel the same way about my synagogue. I have offered to can for people and there just doesn't seem to be an urgency or worry. I don't understand it. I doubt myself so often. Why can I see it and so many can't?
 
#8 ·
I don't understand. Do you make an appointment to buy supplies or are you making an appointment to use their canning facilities? If you are buying supplies, do you get them right away (like going through a grocery store) or are you putting an order in? Is there a catalog, price list or something to show what products they have? Sorry to ask so many questions but I am curious. Thanks
 
#10 ·
Thanks scguy2473! I just made an appointment.





Sherrie,call to make an appointment as they are only open certain days and hours-strictly volunteers on their part. They just need to know what to expect folks are buying and how many will show up,so to speak.

My understanding,after having just spoken with them, is that one can buy "bulk" items basically off the shelf,depending on availability, or one can have these same items "canned" in smaller quantities. They would prefer to know in advance so they can be prepared for the orders,that's all.

VERY nice and helpful people to deal with,in my limited experience.

Check the website above or call the number for more info...
 
#13 ·
LDS Cannery

I am LDS and just wanted to give you a brief description of how our canneries work. These canneries are available throughout the US and maybe even in Mexico, likely in Canada. Our church teaches that we should have a 3-6 mth supply of everyday items, and a 1 yr supply of life sustaining staples, and this is their way of helping make that possible. You call ahead to the cannery to find out when they are open and to make an appt. Items (wheat, powdered milk, oats, and a variety of other dry goods) are available in bulk bags. You can buy them straight off the shelf during hours that the cannery is open. If you want to just have the bags of items, you can walk in, pick them up and pay. As mentioned before, occasionally demand outpaces supply and they run out of items. They should have a good idea of when they will restock. If you know exactly what you want, you may want to call a day or two before your appt and make sure that they still have it.

If you are wanting items in number 10 cans, you will have to can it yourself. They have all of the equipment there and will train you and often help. It is good to take two or more people to make it go a bit more quickly. If you want 5 cans of wheat and a bag will fill 8 cans, they ask that you can all 8 cans (use up the bag) and the ones that you don't want to purchase will go on a shelf for anyone who wants to buy them. This means that sometimes when you just want a can or two of something (carrot dices, onion flakes, etc), you might find it on the shelf left from an order that someone previously canned.

You can buy foods by the can, or in bulk and purchase the cans, o2 absorbers, mylar bags, bulk food separately. They also have mylar sealers, so if you prefer to store in mylar bags, you can do that. They do allow you to also check out the canners and mylar sealers (not sure if they allow non-lds, but it doesn't hurt to ask) so that you can do stuff at home. This is nice for people who coupon and might get deals on sugar, flour, or those who like to seal 72 hr kits or other safety gear in a can or mylar bag to protect it. I would recommend using the equipment in the cannery first before you try to take it home and use it. Also, they have a factsheet about food safety, what you can safely store and how long it lasts under what conditions.

All of the above information applies to what they call dry-pack canning, which most every cannery is. The LDS church also operates wet-pack canneries in certain areas. Depending on the area and the growing season, they can produce from local church owned farms to distribute to the needy. You may be able to buy canned peaches, beans, salsa, and other produce based goods if you live near a wet-pack cannery and are willing to volunteer to work a shift.

To locate a cannery in your area go to the aforementioned http://www.providentliving.org click on home storage, then click on the locations link at the top of the page.
The website also has a list of items available for dry-pack, plus a ton of other great food storage and preparedness info, a basic food calculator (how much food for X number of people for X number of months). Overall a great website for people who want to be ready for just about anything life can throw at them! I know this is long, and a bit old, but I hope it helps!!
 
#14 ·
Just an update on this....last time I called to make another appointment to buy some more bulk items I was told that I would now need a LDS church member to sponsor me and accompany me on my next appointment. After that, the member does not have to come with me anymore. Apparently there has been such a surge in non-member interest that they have had to scale back who is able to come in. Since I don't know anyone who is LDS that I am comfortable telling WHY I need to buy food in bulk, I guess I'm out of luck...
 
#15 ·
Do you happen to know the specific hours that the Columbia SC facility is open? I am sure I can call them to ask but I know they are usually very busy so if someone already knows I would appreciate if you could let me know. Thanks.

The reason I ask is that I am 3 hours away from Columbia SC. When I went to the Greenville NC facility (great folks there and I was thrilled to be allowed to go there), the appointments were all for fairly early in the morning and I had trouble making them on time (about the same distance). I felt badly but luckily I was with a group who were coming from the other direction and were closer and were able to make it at the appointed hour so my tardiness was tolerated. Not only was there a lot of traffic I didn't expect, and not great weather, but I got lost finding the facility once I reached town too. I can't afford to go and stay in a motel for a night for this purpose, and I do not want to be late again, so I am hoping that the Columbia facility may allow later appointments. Day of the week doesn't matter but the time does.
 
#18 ·
You have to make an appt. Because there are volunteers running these places as an LDS ministry. They need to know how many people to expect on any given day. The canning process can take a while, especially if it's your first time. They kind of have to teach you. Also, if you are just going to pick up prepackaged items they'll want to make sure they are available and that someone will be able to help you with your order/purchase. There is an order sheet to printnout on their site. Helpful to have filled out ahead of time.

I haven't been there yet. I have LDS relatives in SC, but the Greensboro cannery is closer to me. Really need to call and see if I can get an appt. You can order a limited selection on their site for home delivery. Last time I checked, shipping was free.
 
#19 ·
We talked about this very recently here:
http://www.survivalistboards.com/showthread.php?p=3109238#post3109238

You do NOT need to be a member of the church to purchase food from the LDS cannery. It is not a club just for the LDS; it's open to the public. But to can, yes you do need to make an appointment because the whole place is run by volunteers and they need to stay organized and ensure they have sufficient help. I have read that one cannery requires a member sponsor, and I don't know if that is true, but it is not the norm. LDS cannerys are open to the public.

The earlier comment that if you want to buy food in #10 cans, you have to can it yourself is partially true; and it creates confusion. You can buy as much of these foodstuffs as you like in #10 cans:
wheat, rice, pancake mix, potato pearls, pinto beans, oats, flour.

You can buy other things as well but they come in bags and pouches unless you are part of the canning effort. Remember that this place runs off of volunteers and you are benefiting from the labor of others. So it only makes sense that they require some of your time if you want everything in #10 cans. They do not make a profit; everything is at cost.
 
#20 ·
Olddog ... some canneries do not open themselves to the public. Each facility has different people running it, and different rules. You are correct - they are not 'membership only clubs' either. They are church facilities, not public, and they can decide whether they want to allow others to come to their cannery and buy.

The canneries are intended to be for LDS first, and are designed to help them administer a form of 'welfare' to their own. If they allow to go there, we who are not LDS are very privileged indeed. It is not a 'store' - we need to abide by all their rules and be as polite and gracious as we can - and it is a good idea to leave a small donation too if you can afford it.

As for the canning part, there are great posts all over this forum (one of them in this very thread above, Chris13) describing the entire process at a LDS cannery (and this part IS consistent across all canneries I am sure - they abide by all health and safety rules for this kind of facility - which means things like you cover your hair, wash your hands over and over and you change gloves with every change in type of good canned). Sometimes you can buy pre-canned items if they are on the shelves left over from another canning session, but that is because when someone comes to can and doesn't want the same number of cans that you would get in a full bag of whatever the staple is, all of it must be canned anyway.
 
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