Bum's rush at the LDS Cannery

[NM_Shooter]

You should check your states laws. 

Nah, I'm guilty.  I just wanted to whine and vent a bit.  I'll go to court, ask for and probably receive deferred adjudication and be done with it.  I can either:

1)  Amend my behavior or deal with the consequences,
2)  Try and get the limit on my road raised.

I suspect i will just buy a radar detector and be more careful.  I guess that falls under #1.

[Don_P]

Am I the only that has had "Imagine" playing in the jukebox in their head for the past 2 days 

[MountainDon]

Frank, MTL if you ask nicely they will remove the citation. K had one a few years back and she had to attend a driver ed course. That was a drag but it kept her record clean and the insurance company in the dark.

The Rio Rancho police are slightly more benevolent if there's no history of tickets when they run your info. I received a written warning a few weeks back just down the street on Nicklaus. The RR PD keeps those on file for 6 months. If you get stopped again within that time you're dead meat. But they don't forward it to the state or insurance companies.

That's not to say they don't have speed traps. After 25 years I think I know where the most likely spots are, but in case I don't I do drive slower than I did when I was younger.

[Sassy]

I had the song I Can Only Imagine by Michael W Smith about what it will be like meeting Jesus.  I just attended the memorial service of my "spiritual" 89 y/o mother - she went on to her reward last Sunday.  I can say that she was probably the most loving person I have ever known.  She never met a stranger, her door was always open to anyone - especially the down & outers, those others rejected.  Her husband & she had "Home Missions Chapel" - he worked as a auto body mechanic in his garage, the chapel was in their house, they had people staying with them all the time, always had company for meals - the real example of how Jesus would have wanted "church" to be. 

A woman sung the song I Can Only Imagine & the pastor read 1st Corinthians 13 - the love chapter.  Lots of people stood up to share how she'd been instrumental in their lives.   I'll miss her - she was a friend since I was 20 y/o, but I know I will see her one day 

[apaknad]

sorry for your loss Sassy, she was a sign post to many souls and you are right in your thinking that she was doing God's work.

[Sassy]

Thanks, apaknad.

[peternap]

As for the Mormons or LDS, I have to say,

I ignore the religious beliefs of them or any other religion - I grew up JW.  I found that being born into a religion doesn't make it right or maybe wrong.  Religion has not destroyed my belief in the Bible or God.  It has only destroyed my belief in religion.

That was just for background.

Now - friends ....

I have to associate my Mormon friends with  my list of people I would trust with my life no matter what my beliefs.  They may not all be that way, but I have been friends with some of them since about 1976 or 8 and Whitlock's family for most of the last year.  He is like me pretty well in beliefs.

When my birth religion sent me to hell, my friends were always there to help - talk with or cover my back.  We don't dwell on religious differences although we may mention or talk about it a bit in passing.

I would trust my friends with my life and they feel the same.  Maybe I just know the special ones, or maybe there are more.

Glenn, It's always the individuals you trust, not the organization. Organizations, whether they are religious, fraternal, governmental or otherwise, are just that, organizations! 

[glenn kangiser]

That's the truth.

[akemt]

Something you should consider when dealing with the mormon church or its members is that it is a lay religion...meaning untrained people are called to positions without compensation and must volunteer their time and learn as they go.  Some stick to the handbooks, some concentrate on people, some on organization, some give as little as possible, and some have a great deal of learning to do.

Bishops are called to preside over a specific area, not just LDS members in that area.  Obviously that is their greatest concern and what they deal with most (the members).  I personally know of plenty of times we've helped non-member families here locally with food, money for utilities, etc.  They all go through the Bishop.  One main key is that it isn't a dole.  The church will help in times of hardship and help you get back on your feet (thus the perpetual education fund, job services, lds social services, bishop's storehouses, etc) but won't give you a dole for your support.  Does that make sense?  Members who follow the council about storage should know that part of their storage is to help others if/when the need arises.  What the actual policy is about canneries, I don't know as there isn't one anywhere near here.  My husband says it depends on the local people.

To help answer the food storage question, we believe in being self-reliant.  That doesn't mean we don't believe in accepting help when needed, but we do so after we've done all that we can.  Having a supply of food storage can be a make or brake point when it comes to the unexpected.  Anything from natural disasters to losing a job, illness in the family, etc.  It is one less (often huge) bill to have to worry about.  Another reason becomes obvious when you read the story of the seven years of plenty and seven years of famine in Egypt.  Under Joseph's leadership the Egyptians stored food.  When the years of famine came those who didn't have food (Israelites, among others) traded their freedom for it.  If you remember, our religion has had many years of persecution and hardships, being attacked and governed against, and we do not intend to leave ourselves open for easy oppression.  Of course, like with every other religion, you must remember that we are given the principle and the goal but members often fall short of it.  Same holds true with helping your neighbors, accepting others even while not approving of their actions/beliefs, etc.  The goals and principles are good and true, how we manage to apply them to our own lives often doesn't meet the goal.  We aren't perfect or we'd have no need for the church.

Catherine (LDS)

[NM_Shooter]

I asked a friend about providing me with the Bishop's name and address so I could write and ask for permission to buy from the cannery.  This is what I received in response:

<snip>
Hi Frank!



Last time I checked it was OK for non-members to purchase, however they do have to help can their purchases, as do the Mormons.



They way it works is:  The cannery is used mainly to help members who are not on federal welfare, but need a little help for a short time

And for large disaster situations.  The second use is to help members and non-members have a viable amount of food storage for the sustenance

Of their own families in case of disaster, loss of work, etc. for provident living



All the above criteria involve spending time at the cannery canning.  Even those who are taking for welfare sort of reasons, are asked, if able, to

Put time into canning, cleaning, stocking, and maintaining the Bishops Storehouse (Where the cannery is located).



Bishops are in charge of the entire area of their ward boundaries, whether people are LDS or not.  They are to see to the welfare of all people in need

If there are any disasters of any type.  Churches can be turned into shelters, hospitals, and quarantine centers.  Doctors and nurses, active and inactive,

Are identified and on a list to move into action.



The only caveat to non-members, as far as I know, they need to work with members to can.  When the issue is providing without immediate need, there is

An order of doing things.  For instance, it is more cost effective to make a large order of, say spaghetti.  Therefore, all wards will be notified that the cannery

Item for the month will be spaghetti.  When it is a wards turn, they go to the cannery, with everyone who wants to purchase, they can the spaghetti, pay

For it, and take it home.  In December, the cannery try's to get rid of overstock and at that time you can purchase extra cases without canning.



You can go with me or any other LDS member you know.  It would be helpful for you to get a cannery order form.  You order in month A and can that item in month B.

I will see what I can find for you.  There is also a site called Emergency Essentials, it is:  beprepared.com.  Many Mormons use this site.  The products are more varied

and at very reasonable prices.  I receive an ad from them monthly.  They also carry generators, backpacks, emergency radios, tents, storage barrels, light sticks,  etc.

I'll try to remember to let you know next time one comes in.  They also use Bothell Farms for fruit.  San Francisco Spices for bulk Spices.  And they also do a yearly

bulk chocolate purchase near the holidays...priorities you know!



The cannery is only open on Saturdays.  The time they set aside for canning is generally 2 to 4 hours.  I will get together what I can for you.



Linda

[glenn kangiser]

That sort of agrees with some of the stuff here - I know of the bigger canneries my other friend goes to up north, but there is a small one in Fresno where a couple who likes to volunteer says they just do it for others there - they enjoy it so keep doing it.  That may be part of the difference.

[Flutterby]

So here's what I found out. During Y2K there was too much demand and the canneries just couldn't keep up, so they sold to members only. Afterwards, the ban was lifted and the canneries are now definitely supposed to sell to ANYONE! But the person I talked to told me that unfortunately some canneries didn't get that news and they still think they can only sell food to members.

But here is the catch. If you want to buy food from a cannery, it is required that you help can the food, whether you're a member or not.

Our little cannery here in Fresno CA is the exception. There is a wife and husband team there who do all of the canning and they don't want help and they are more than happy to volunteer the work and do all the canning for everyone. She says that it's faster that way and they can meet the high demand that we have in this area.

I feel it's always a good thing that if you don't know something about something, and you want to know the truth, always go to the source and find out the answers. I feel that sometimes the internet is a bad way to find out information, because you'll just be getting someone's opinion or assumption. I use the internet everyday as a source of information for my job as a medical transcriptionist, and I have to be very careful when researching that I use a reliable source.

NM - I'm happy to hear that you actually went to the source and wrote to the bishop in your area. Hopefully your questions were answered. It is unfortunate that the two men at the cannery were discriminatory against you... this is definitely not what our religion teaches, but just the opposite. We are taught that each person is a child of God, that each individual is of equal value in the sight of God, that He loves all of his children, and that we should love everyone just the same.

Donya

[NM_Shooter]

I haven't written the Bishop yet, but plan to. 

My friend just told me that they are planning to can wheat in a few days.  I am going to volunteer to can, whether I decide to buy some or not.  I'm not against helping out a couple of hours (I do volunteer work for lots of other little things around town) and maybe this will help the cannery management to be a bit more open towards me. 

It was definitely a weird feeling/situation at the cannery last weekend, and I don't want to repeat that. 

-f-