One of the most important items, if not the most important item you’ll place in your emergency shelter is your food. There is plenty to consider such as how many people you will be feeding in the shelter, how long you plan to stay in it, what sort of storage space you have, and making sure to pick well-rounded meals that provide you with enough nutrition.
That’s a lot to consider and it’s not an area where you want to make any mistakes. The last situation you want to find yourself in is bunkering down in your shelter with your family on the verge of running out of food. In order to help you prep, we’ve put together a list of tips and advice that you can use that will help keep you organized.
How Many Years’ Worth of Food Do You Want?
One of the main factors to consider is how many years’ worth of food you want to prepare for. Are you looking at a 5, 10, 20, or even 25 year plan? In order to be truly prepared it’s always best to prepare for the longest amount of time possible. You have no idea what the outside environmental conditions will be, so shooting for the long plan is wise.
How Do You Plan to Store It?
While it may be simple enough to prep for just you in terms of food, if you are prepping for a whole family, that’s a lot more containers to store and worry about. Clearly you want it to be easy to access, labelled for ease of use, and solid enough that you know the storage container is keeping your food safe and fresh.
You will want to look at websites like www.survival-gear.com for ideas on food storage. Not only is the food this website sells stored in durable plastic containers, but it is all readymade meals that have been packed in airtight nitrogen sealed pouches. So, think about it, the storage, packing, and meal preparation is all done for you. The products on this site also have a shelf life of 25 years, so you know you’re covered.
Another great thing about food being stored in pouches is that you will have less waste overall. Cans are bulky and take up huge amounts of space, both when full and when they are emptied. Pouches will create very little waste to worry about.
Choosing the Right Foods
While we have the luxury of picking whatever we feel like eating in our regular lives, in an emergency shelter there needs to be some thought and planning. Opt for meals that are high in protein and calories. These will give you the energy you need. As well, you want to consider storing a variety of foods to ensure you have a balanced diet and stay healthy.
While there is a lot of focus placed on the main part of your diet, you also need to consider basics, such as coffee, water, energy bars, peanut butter, and dried fruit.
When it comes to prepping the food for your emergency shelter, remember there is no such thing as being over-stocked and over-prepared.
