From the time of our company’s founding, word of mouth has been one of our greatest advertising tools.  Our reputation was built on customers sharing their opinions of Shelf Reliance with anyone who’d listen. The ease and reliability of Shelf Reliance products have had people talking to their neighbors, family members, and co-workers for years now, and at some point along the way, customers began asking how they could sell and distribute the products for themselves. After months of planning, testing, and experimenting, Shelf Reliance has come up with the perfect answer. I introduce to you …

Shelf Reliance Home Parties!

Please join us for the official launch of Shelf Reliance Home Parties on Saturday, April 17th.

Place: Golf Clubhouse at Thanksgiving Point in Lehi, Utah
Time: 1:00-5:00 PM (1-3 Open House, 3-5 Launch Presentation)
Admission: absolutely free

Come see what we have to offer, from Food Rotation Systems to THRIVE Foods, and learn all you need to know about the benefits of hosting an event in your neighborhood or becoming a Home Parties Independent Consultant. The open house will feature delicious food, a cooking demonstration from the talented Kelsey Nixon, door prizes, and plenty of people to answer every question you come up with.

For those of you who don’t live nearby, never fear! You can still get involved by using the contact information provided at the end of this post or by clicking here. This is just the beginning, and with the help of people like you, Shelf Reliance Home Parties will be available in your area before you know it.

The goal of Shelf Reliance Home Parties is to share the vision of preparedness and food storage with people across the country. There’s a certain sense of accomplishment that comes from building your own future while helping others prepare for theirs, and Shelf Reliance Home Parties is the perfect opportunity to experience this for yourself. Our great-tasting food and competitive pricing have made us a leader in the industry, and this new business opportunity will allow you to benefit from our history of excellence. Whether you’re interested in a career with Home Parties, want to host a few parties here and there, or just want to see what it’s all about, we invite you to attend and hope you’ll stay to chat!

To learn more about this exciting opportunity, please visit www.shelfreliance.com/parties. If you have further questions or would like to get involved right away, send an e-mail to parties@shelfreliance.com or call (877)743-5373.

Bring a friend, a neighbor, a parent – anyone at all! The more the merrier, as they say. We’re excited to see each and every one of you on April 17th. Be sure to bring your questions and your appetite. We’ll see you there!

Thanks for reading today! Please share your own advice for implementing protein in your food storage in the comments section below.

Taking care of yourself emotionally is vital at any stage of life, especially since your own emotional state has a profound effect on family members and anyone else you spend much time with. One person’s positive attitude or calm demeanor tends to rub off on others. Similarly, pessimistic or aggressive family members can create toxic situations for everyone in the home.

The importance of emotional health is only magnified when a disaster takes place. In the aftermath of a disaster, adults and children alike are prone to feeling stressed, frustrated, and drained. We hope the information we share today can help you to look after your emotional health and to recover quickly when unexpected problems come along.

What is a disaster?

“Disasters” can be anything from natural disasters, like the earthquake that’s caused so much devastation in Haiti, to car accidents or the death of a loved one. A “disaster” can be big enough make national news or small enough to only challenge one family. Even the long-term stress that comes from a dangerous job or caring for a sick child can create reactions like the ones seen in victims of traumatic events. It’s safe to say that we’ll all experience several disasters in our lives, and the ability to deal with those disasters in a safe way is key.

How do people react emotionally when disaster strikes?

As you might expect, there’s a wide range of emotions that can be inspired by a disaster. According to the Red Cross, here are some of the most common responses to difficult situations:

• Feeling physically and mentally drained
• Having difficulty making decisions or staying focused on topics
• Frustration that occurs more quickly and more often
• Arguing more with family and friends
• Feeling tired, sad, numb, lonely, or worried
• Experiencing changes in appetite or sleep patterns

Looking at this list, it’s striking to notice how important it is to know and understand your own behavior before you can evaluate your emotional health. For example, if you’re usually indecisive or if you tend to worry a lot, then those symptoms might not be as meaningful after a disaster. But if you’ve always been an incurable optimist and are suddenly feeling depressed, or if you’re starting arguments even though that’s completely unlike you, those symptoms are likely very telling.

What’s the best way to respond to these emotional troubles?

The Red Cross offers these suggestions:

• Take care of your safety. Find a safe place to stay and make sure your physical health needs and those of your family are addressed. Seek medical attention, if necessary.
• Eat healthy. During times of stress, it is important that you maintain a balanced diet and drink plenty of water.
• Get some rest. With so much to do, it may be difficult to have enough time to rest or get adequate sleep. Giving your body and mind a break can boost your ability to cope with the stress you may be experiencing.
• Stay connected with family and friends. Giving and getting support is one of the most important things you can do.
• Be patient with yourself and with those around you. Recognize that everyone is stressed and may need some time to put their feelings and thoughts in order.
• Set priorities.Tackle tasks in small steps
• Gather information about assistance and resources that will help you and your family members met your disaster-related needs.
• Stay positive. Remind yourself of how you’ve successfully gotten through difficult times in the past. Reach out when you need support, and help others when they need it.

In most cases, the symptoms pass quickly after a disaster. Once people have the chance to rest and regroup, they’re able to think clearly and recover. If unusual behavior persists for longer than two weeks, it may be a sign that the person should reach out for more assistance.

For more information on this topic, take a look at this Red Cross document: Taking Care of Your Emotional Health after a Disaster

***UPDATE: Thanks to all who took part in our THRIVE Cookbook poll! The feedback you provided has been very helpful so far. At this time, we’ve removed the poll from our website and are evaluating the responses. Keep an eye out for the THRIVE Cookbook to make its debut!***

Many of you have enjoyed having resources like our Recipes section and the Shelf Reliance YouTube channel to find fresh ideas for using your THRIVE food storage in everyday meals. We’re excited to announce that our latest addition, the THRIVE Cookbook, is well on its way. The newest member of the Shelf Reliance family, Kelsey Nixon, is developing new recipes and tips every day, all to help you make delicious, healthy, convenient meals for your family!

As we’ve been working on this cookbook, several questions have come to mind. Our goal is to make a resource that’s helpful and worthwhile for you, and to do that, we need your help! We’ve created a short poll of just 13 questions (all of which are optional), and we’d love to get your feedback. You can participate in the poll by clicking here [editor's note: as indicated above, this poll has been closed and the responses were great!]. We appreciate your thoughts and your time. Have a great day, and be looking for our new THRIVE Cookbook in the coming months!

From now through December 17th, Shelf Reliance will be hosting 12 Days of Deals.  Check our website each day to find out which item is discounted, then snag your own before midnight!

We’re kicking things off today with out first item – the 2 Person Survival Pack. Regularly priced at $160, this pack is on sale for $89.99 through midnight tonight. The pack comes in a sturdy backpack and includes individually-packed water boxes, high calorie food, sleeping bags, ponchos, and a flashlight that can also be used as an alarm, a radio, and a cell phone charger.

The 12 Days of Deals excludes Sundays, so the offers listed on Saturdays will actually last two days. To find out the new item each day, simply visit our homepage and look for a slider like the one above. Happy Holidays from Shelf Reliance! We hope you’ll find an item for every special person on your list.

A 2003 manual from the United States Department of Agriculture gives some great guidelines for keeping your food from going bad in case of a power outage. The manual, entitled Food Safety and Food Security: What Consumers Need to Know, is a fantastic resource for information on food handling, the USDA’s inspection procedures, canned foods, and other topics. Today’s blog post will give you some food safety tips that will save you money and keep you safe in case of an emergency.

A power failure can be inconvenient and uncomfortable, especially when the weather is extreme. It’s best to keep a supply of nonperishable food at home, cutting down your dependence on food that has to stay chilled or frozen. Of course, since most power failures only last a few hours, the food in your freezer and refrigerator can be kept safe if you follow a few simple rules. Some are common sense, and some require a little more thought. Continue reading

Black Friday, the infamous start of holiday shopping, is winding to a close, but there’s still one last deal to be had. The winners of the Harvest 72″ systems were selected with the Random Integer Generator:

Random Integer Generator

Here are your random numbers:

498
525
533
234
727

Timestamp: 2009-11-28 02:15:04 UTC

Unfortunately, comment #234 was found to be an invalid entry. As a replacement, the following comment was chosen:

Random Integer Generator

Here are your random numbers:

622

Timestamp: 2009-11-28 02:30:20 UTC

Congratulations to Sandy Huffman, Meg Snow, Natasha Laity Snyder, LaRee Holcomb, and Anne Gullion! Keep your eyes open for a confirmation e-mail that’s on its way to you.

It’s been quite the birthday celebration, and we thank you all for getting involved in our Birthday Bash giveaways!

Looking for our birthday giveaway? You’re getting warmer, and there’s still time to enter! Visit this blog post for all the info you need.

With all the mashed potatoes, family gossip, and napping you’ve likely taken care of today, I expect that the winners of today’s giveaway is the last thing on your mind! It’s certainly a busy time of year, and we hope you had a marvelous time with family and friends on Thanksgiving. The winners of the Medium Can Packs were selected with the Random Integer Generator:

Random Integer Generator

Here are your random numbers:

290
480
420
673
200

Timestamp: 2009-11-27 02:29:41 UTC

Congratulations to “traceface”, Debbie Pratt, Jeanine Feldkamp, Jessica Jensen, and Jennifer Andersen! Keep your eyes open for a confirmation e-mail that we’ll be sending out. We wish happy shopping to all of you who are braving our Black Friday Sale tomorrow, and remember that that’s the day we’ll pick the winners of the Harvest 72″ systems! Good luck!

Looking for our birthday giveaway? You’re getting warmer, and there’s still time to enter! Visit this blog post for all the info you need.

On Thanksgiving Eve, the team at Shelf Reliance is thankful for all of your birthday wishes and continued support. The winners of the Harvest 51″ systems were selected with the Random Integer Generator:

Random Integer Generator

Here are your random numbers:

697
776
61
149
747

Timestamp: 2009-11-26 00:11:07 UTC

Unfortunately, comment #697 was found to be an invalid entry. As a replacement, the following comment was chosen:

Random Integer Generator

Here are your random numbers:

586

Timestamp: 2009-11-26 00:50:41 UTC

Congratulations to Jessica Pulsipher, Sandy Perlic, Will Stillwell, April Elsegood, and Terri Walker! Keep your eyes open for a confirmation e-mail that we’ll be sending out. Happy Thanksgiving to all, and we’ll see you back here for our last two giveaways!

The Shelf Reliance staff is hard at work at locations throughout Utah (and even one in Idaho) to prepare for our Black Friday Sale. You can find details for a sale near you by clicking here.

All this traveling will result in a few delays on the blog, but have no fear! Our Birthday Bash giveaways will continue as expected, and though announcements of our chosen winners might come late in the day, rest assured that we haven’t forgotten about your entries. Have a happy Thanksgiving, and we hope to see you snagging deals at one of our Black Friday locations!