Everyone has some type of pantry covering long term food storage. Storing food in large plastic containers, cans and other sources are common place in outlying areas. Most experience long term food storage with kitchen canisters, storing flour, cookies and other treats. Long term storage is a necessity for people who still live in regions where going out to the store is not a short walk. People living away from urban areas and in places that are considered quite desolate still need to concern themselves with long term food storage.
Stores are filled with plastic bins and aluminum containers good for long term storage. Can goods produced by manufacturers last for years. Many are light weight and packed in aluminum cans and have pop top opening that do not require can openers. Long term food storage is found with a shelf life of as much as 25 years, so there is no danger of your investment failing. Large homes over the centuries found a self sustaining lifestyle very wise. Most people do not have land and livestock to supply all of their needs. But there are long term food supply companies that sell huge amounts of dried foods prepared for to last for years.
Long term food storage is a wonderful idea for churches and homes. Flour and other dry items are stored by many organizations for the usefulness of the idea. Buying at every turn is not always possible nor is it practical making long term food storage a brilliant idea. Access to transportation and money does not always guarantee access to the things needed. Food sitting close at hand under any circumstance is better than a grocery store a few miles away. A shift in any environmental circumstance can keep you away from the staples you need to survive. Illness, work, weather; there is no way to tell and being prepared for any alternative is the best option.
Foods particularly packaged for long term storage are good to have around. Storing food in freezers is a nice option but this food is perishable and subject to freezer burn. Long term food storage is stored differently and can last for many years. It is there whenever you need it and you do not need to worry about it constantly. If you are not home and there is a power outage, there is no worry, and generators do not always kick in.