Home Storage Centers

Introduction

Congratulations on your opportunity to serve in a home storage center! Whether you are a missionary, volunteer, or member of an agent stake operating committee, the following information will introduce you to your basic responsibilities.

Purpose

A home storage center helps Church members prepare for adversity by helping them build a basic supply of food for their longer-term home storage.

Missionaries assigned as home storage center managers run the day-to-day operations of the center so that members can package or purchase basic food items-such as wheat, beans, and white rice-for their home storage.

Key Activities

The activities of those who serve in a home storage center include the following:

  • Help customers purchase and package food items.

  • Manage inventories, including ordering and receiving goods.

  • Ensure that customer payments are handled properly.

Key Measures

The following principles are used to measure the success of a home storage center:

  • Customers have a wonderful packaging and purchasing experience.

  • Volunteers feel uplifted by their experience serving in the home storage center.

  • The home storage center has sufficient volunteer labor and hours of operation to meet patron needs.

  • Inventory is managed to meet customer demand.

  • Packaging equipment (can seamers and pouch sealers) is operational and properly maintained.

  • The facility meets safety, sanitation, cleanliness, and maintenance standards.

  • Operations adhere to requirements specified in finance, operational, and safety reviews and audits.

  • New missionaries and volunteers are trained in a timely manner.

Leadership

Each home storage center operates under the direction of an agent stake operating committee chaired by the agent stake president. The manager of the home storage center serves on this committee. Other members of the committee are the chairman of the stake bishops’ welfare council and the stake Relief Society president.

The agent stake operating committee should meet regularly(preferably quarterly) to provide priesthood guidance and support to the home storage center.

The committee is responsible to:

  • Ensure that the home storage center serves members appropriately.

  • Arrange for Church-service missionaries to serve in the home storage center.

  • Arrange for needed volunteer labor.

  • Ensure that the facility is properly maintained.

  • Represent the home storage center in coordinating council meetings.

  • Help Church leaders understand how to use the home storage center effectively.

A field manager or area welfare manager is assigned to help with training and answer questions about the management of the operation. He provides training to home storage center managers during the first month of their mission. Thereafter, managers should contact him anytime they need help or direction.