Through the centuries, food has brought people together not only to partake of nourishment, but also to socialize, conduct business and generally share ideas.

Food is helping bring two groups together in this west central Florida city near Tampa, which is by the Gulf of Mexico. Members of the Lakeland 2nd Ward are sharing with their neighbors their enthusiasm, knowledge, and facilities pertaining to the storage of food.These neighbors are members of the Gilead Ministries Inc., a non-denominational group comprised of members from various churches in the area who meet on a weeknight to pursue common interests and goals, and render service.

The Gilead Ministries group members also have a keen interest in emergency preparedness and home food storage. This interest is growing into a relationship that is producing blessings of sharing with others.

Teressa Conners of the Lakeland 2nd Ward and Marcy Williams, a Gilead member, are teachers at the Haines City Elementary School. They learned they had mutual interests in food storage and emergency preparedness.

Mrs. Williams said, "I knew your Church had been doing these things for years, but I was afraid to ask for your help."

It turned out that Sister Conners was anxious to help, and before long, she and other ward members were inviting the entire Gilead group to join them is such things as wheat preparation and storage, canning projects and Relief Society homemaking presentations.

Members from the Gilead group have attended Relief Society classes at the ward meetinghouse, and the ward's Relief Society has presented classes at Gilead meetings, where LDS women have shared home prepared meals and recipes - along with their testimonies.

"The Mormons have long recognized the need for personal preparedness and the advisability of having a year's supply of life-sustaining necessities on hand," said Rabbi Terri Miller of Gilead Ministries.

"Our congregation," the rabbi said, "has been searching for more information on this subject, and we feel the Lord has directed us to Sister Steele."

Rosemary Steele is the ward Relief Society homemaking leader and a returned missionary from the Florida Tampa Mission. She has presented homemaking classes at the Gilead Ministries meetings, arranged for 20 tons of wheat for storage, organized canning projects and discussed home storage and preparedness with the group.

"Through my calling in the Church," she said, "I have had the opportunity to teach these choice people about home production, emergency preparedness and the welfare program of the Church.

"My association with these great people has led to many discussions about the Book of Mormon, some of the principles of the gospel and an opportunity to share my testimony with them. In a way, this feels like an extension of my mission."

Larrry Bynum, manager of the Tampa multi-regional bishops storehouse in Plant City, Fla., has opened the cannery doors to ward members to host the Gilead Ministries for canning sessions; two have been held, and more are planned.

"It is exciting," Bynum said, "that other churches see a need for food storage and want to be self-reliant, that they can see the necessity for being prepared for whatever misfortunes life may bring. The Lord has said, 'If ye are prepared ye shall not fear.'" (D&C 38:30.)

Dean Richey, a ward member who supervised one of the evening canning sessions, said: "Approximately 20 of us from the ward and our guests from the Gileads joined together to spend a long evening in preparing and canning potatoes. Each of us shared in the cost of the potatoes and in the work that brought about more than 50 cases of canned, storable potatoes.

"Our canning was thankfully interrupted by Sister Steele, who served us homemade wheat rolls and barbeque pork that had been canned at the cannery, and homemade ice cream."

Full-time missionaries, Elder Jed K. Wilkinson from Santa Clara, Utah, and Elder Bert E. Brown form Ririe, Idaho, have assisted with the canning projects and in presentations to the Gilead group.

"We have really felt the missionary spirit and we have been blessed with the opportunity of telling these wonderful people about our Church and bearing our testimonies," they said.