by David E Bay, High Councilor
This past week I took the opportunity to go to the Harrisville Cannery to help fulfill an assignment for our stake. This was a day when every Ward in our Stake had an assignment at the cannery. We were canning beef stew. The cannery has been in operation for six years. Hopefully, you have had a chance to visit and help with the operations.
This was the first time that I volunteered to serve at the cannery when I was not completely able-bodied, due to my recent shoulder surgery. The Service Missionaries found a “gravy assignment” for me that I could perform with my lifting restrictions on my left arm. My assignment was to turn off and on the flow of gravy concentrate going into the cans right before they were sealed. This was a needed operation and something that I could physically do. I was excited to see first-hand that they would find appropriate assignments for everyone who comes to help.
The Brigham City South Stake receives assignments usually in the autumn for the next calendar year. The Stake President assigns a High Councilor to divvy the assignments between the wards. Currently that is my assignment. Each Ward is asked to fill about 30 shifts of four hours for the year. Elders Quorum and Relief Society Presidencies, and sometimes others coordinate the sharing of these assignments to individuals within each ward.
The Harrisville Cannery is part of the Church Welfare Services system. The cannery staff include Service Missionaries and some employees. The product produced there is shipped to the Bishop’s Central Storehouse in Salt Lake City, where it is distributed to those in need locally and all over the world.
The Harrisville Cannery was built to replace the old Ogden Cannery. The Ogden Cannery was able to produce about 3 million cans of product a year. The Harrisville Cannery was built with new and improved manufacturing technology and has capacity to produce up to 15 million cans per year. Currently the output is about 11 million cans per year. Technology has been improved to do this with about half of the manpower that was required at the Ogden cannery. To produce beef stew, for example, as I recall, it would take about 35 people to do the work at the Ogden Cannery, while the Harrisville Cannery is able to produce more output with a minimum shift size of 14 people.
The Harrisville Cannery was finished and dedicated on May 14, 2017. Later, the decision was made to close the old Murray Cannery and move the products made there to the Harrisville Cannery. There are now 13 different products that are produced yearly, unique to the Harrisville Cannery: Tomato sauce, tomato paste, beef stew, beef chunks, cream of chicken soup, chicken rotini soup, pork and beans, chili, corn, green beans, cream of mushroom soup, great northern beans, and black beans. Typically, products are available for purchase for those individuals who have served as volunteers for a complete four-hour shift within the last two weeks. Serving at the cannery is one way to help build up a family food supply.
Many of you, like me, have full-time jobs and need to plan in advance to be able to work at the Harrisville Cannery. Unfortunately, too many of us have the idea that if we work full-time, we cannot be blessed with serving at the cannery. I have found that if I choose cannery assignments that are at times less demanding at my job, I can arrange to take time off for part of the day. That way I can enjoy the spirit that comes from serving with other brothers and sisters, providing food for those in need. I recognize that even though I cannot plan on being there every time my ward is assigned, I can arrange to volunteer at least once every year or two. If the current assignment does not fit your schedule, ask your ward leader for information about upcoming assignments; there will probably be one that can work for you if you plan ahead. Many of our faithful retired stalwart members will appreciate having support from younger energetic members.
The cannery will accept service from healthy (not currently sick) individuals who are 16 years of age or older. They ask the volunteers to wear long pants and closed toe shoes, as well as to remove jewelry and watches before working in the production area.
A cannery employee once said, “Volunteers who serve in this facility will come anticipating the physical labor of packing and cleaning, and yet they will leave with their spirits uplifted and an increased measure of joy and compassion in their hearts.”

Special thanks to Sister Heather Porter, the Harrisville Cannery Senior Clerk, for assistance with information for this article.