Food Storage

The following is intended to assist families or individuals in determining a good location to store some food storage & what to store. This information if very extensive so not everything in the suggested food storage list is right for everyone.

That much food requires some thought as to where to put it even if it means putting it under your bed & sleeping a little higher up than before.

If you have the space then by all means store your food in some more adequate space

Start With The Basics

Creating a 2 month food supply can seem overwhelming. Start with the basics. Get beans & rice unless your family cannot eat beans or rice in which case decide on an alternative to these basics. Then get items that you can obtain in bulk or on sale that is packaged in such a way so it can store for a long period of time. If one has the means there are websites that sell food storage items that will last up to 25 years. Above all only buy items that your family will eat. If you decide to preserve your own food please be careful to follow canning or food preserving techniques carefully. Improper food canning can prove fatal if done improperly.

A very important consideration is Water

Water is one of the most important items to have in a food supply as well as in a 72 hour pack, but it is one of the most difficult items to store because even water goes bad after it is left in storage and becomes unsafe to drink, although it still has other uses even when it is not drinkable, & also water expands when it freezes which causes some containers to burst when the weather gets too cold even in Tucson. You can take heart that it is a good thing that water which is the molecule (H2O) expands when changing state from liquid to solid (freezes). Because water expands when freezing ice is less dense than water so it floats & therefore forms on top of lakes & oceans rather than at the bottom which it would form at the bottom if water compressed rather than expanded when freezing. If ice formed on the ocean floors almost all food on those ocean floors would die during freezing. That would cause all ocean bottom feeding creatures to die which in turn would eventually cause pretty much everything in the oceans to die & that would carry over to a serious problem for all life on earth not to mention what would happen to the polar caps & rain.

So even though it is a challenge to keep water from freezing so the containers do not burst just remember it is for the greater good that water does expand when freezing.

There are numerous ways to store water just remember water does not store forever.

Water will go bad in time so it must be rotated unless it is in sealed containers, but even then note the expiration date on the container.

A suggested list of items

To have for a month or two supply that you might want to consider are as follows:
  1. Water (lots of water)
  2. Wheat
  3. Cracked wheat
  4. Flour
  5. Baking powder
  6. Yeast (active dry)
  7. Bisquick mix (pancake)
  8. Cake mixes
  9. Soda
  10. Corn starch
  11. Cocoa
  12. Gelatin (sweet or unsweetened)
  13. Corn meal
  14. Drink mixes
  15. Powdered milk
  16. Salt
  17. Pepper
  18. Seasonings
  19. Sugar
  20. Brown sugar
  21. Powdered sugar
  22. Rice
  23. Beans (pinto or navy)
  24. Eggs (whole solid powdered)
  25. Peas (canned or dehydrated)
  26. Sting beans
  27. Pork & beans
  28. Corn vanilla
  29. Maple flavoring
  30. Peanut butter
  31. Vinegar
  32. Apple butter
  33. Bottled fruit
  34. Jams
  35. Jellies
  36. Tomato crystals
  37. Lemon crystals
  38. Grapefruit crystals
  39. Orange crystals
  40. Pineapple crystals
  41. Soups (liquid canned or dehydrated)
  42. Canned meats (including sandwich spreads)
  43. Carrots
  44. Spinach
  45. Beets
  46. Garbage
  47. Asparagus
  48. Tomatoes
  49. Tomato juice
  50. Potatoes (dry)
  51. Hominy
  52. Spaghetti (dry)
  53. Spaghetti (dinner or canned)
  54. Baked beans
  55. Macaroni (dinner or canned)
  56. Beef stew
  57. Onions (minced)
  58. Bouillon (beef or varied cubes)
  59. Cheese (powdered cheddar)
  60. Margarine
  61. Applesauce
  62. Apples (dehydrated)
  63. Apricots (dehydrated)
  64. Raisins
  65. Yam flakes
  66. Peaches (dehydrated)
  67. Pears (dehydrated)
  68. Honey
  69. Shortening (regular or liquid oil)
  70. Ammonia
  71. Lysol disinfectant
  72. Toilet tissue
  73. Kleenex
  74. Vitamins
  75. Ascorbic acid
  76. Deodorant
  77. Shaving cream
  78. Razor blades
  79. Tooth paste (powdered)
  80. Toothbrush
  81. Hair crème
  82. Shampoo
  83. Combs
  84. Shoe laces
  85. First aid equipment (see separate list)
  86. Oysters
  87. Salmon
  88. Tuna
  89. Deviled meat
  90. Beef jerky (dried)
  91. Soap (hand)
  92. Soap (washing)
  93. Detergent
  94. Soap (for dishes)
  95. Bleach
  96. Cleanser
  97. Bowl cleaner
  98. Saw
  99. Nails
  100. Screws
  101. Flash light
  102. Batteries
  103. Water purification tablets
  104. Bottled water
  105. Water container (large)
  106. Coal stove
  107. Coal
  108. Kindling wood
  109. Coke cubes
  110. Blankets
  111. Pillows
  112. Gun shells
  113. Radio
  114. Newspapers
  115. Wheat grinder
  116. Can opener
  117. Bottle opener
  118. Bucket
  119. Dropper (measuring)
  120. Cooking utensils
  121. Waste baskets (metal containers)
  122. Garbage cans (with lids)
  123. Grocery bags
  124. Towels
  125. Sanitary napkins
  126. Disposable diapers (for babies)
  127. Cleaning fluids
  128. Matches (book)
  129. Needles
  130. Thread
  131. Buttons
  132. Scissors
  133. Candles
  134. Paper plates
  135. Paper cups
  136. Heat cubes
  137. Hammer
  138. Ax
  139. Baby supplies (bottles, etc.)
  140. Deodorants (liquid, powered)
  141. Clothing
  142. Sheets
  143. Rope
  144. Personal toilet items
  145. Coleman stove
  146. Coleman lamp
  147. White gas
  148. Ice storage chest
  149. Clean rags
  150. Scrubbing brush
  151. Broom
  152. Pencils
  153. Paper
  154. Transistor radio
  155. Pamphlets on emergency instructions

Basic Supplies

a standard first-aid kit may contain many of these items:

  1. Adhesive tape
  2. Elastic wrap bandages
  3. Bandage strips & ‘butterfly’ bandages in assorted sizes
  4. Super glue
  5. Rubber tourniquet or 16 French catheter
  6. Nonstick sterile bandages & roller gauze in assorted sizes
  7. Eye shield or pad
  8. Large triangular bandages (may be uses as a sling)
  9. Aluminum finger splint
  10. Instant cold packs
  11. Cotton balls & cotton-tipped swabs
  12. Disposable non-latex examination gloves, several pairs
  13. Duct tape
  14. Petroleum jelly or other lubricant
  15. Plastic bags, assorted sizes
  16. Safety pins in assorted sizes
  17. Scissors & tweezers
  18. Hand sanitizers
  19. Antibiotic ointment
  20. Antiseptic solution & towelettes
  21. Eyewash solution
  22. Thermometer
  23. Turkey baster or other bulb suction device for flushing wounds
  24. Sterile saline for irrigation, flushing
  25. Breathing barrier (surgical mask)
  26. Syringe, medicate cup of spoon
  27. First-aid manual
  28. Hydrogen peroxide to disinfect
  1. Aloe vera gel
  2. Calamine lotion
  3. Anti-diarrhea medication
  4. Laxative
  5. Antacids
  6. Antihistamine, such as diphenhydramine
  7. Hydrocortisone cream
  8. Cough & cold medications
  9. Personal medications that down’ need refrigeration
  10. Auto-injector of epinephrine, if prescribed by your doctor
  11. Pain relievers, such as acetaminophen (Tylenol, others)), ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin IB, others)

Medications

It might be good to augment medications to augment as comfortable for nausea, diarrhea, constipation, headache, chest pain, infections, chronic conditions) AND know how to use these items

Emergency Items

Consider keeping aspirin in your first-aid kit, as well. Aspirin may be life-saving in an adult with chest pain. If you or someone else has new or unexplained chest pain or may be having a heart attack, call for emergency medical help immediately. Then chew a regular strength Aspirin. However don’t take aspirin if you are allergic to aspirin, have bleeding problems or take another blood-thinning medication, or if your doctor previously told you not to do so Never give Aspirin to children.

  1. Emergency phone numbers, including contact information for your family doctor & pediatrician, local emergency services, emergency road service providers, & the poison help line, which in the U.S. is 800-222-1222.
  2. Medical consent forms for each family member
  3. Medical history forms for each family member
  4. Small, waterproof flashlight or headlamp & extra batteries
  5. Waterproof matches
  6. Small notepad & waterproof writing instrument
  7. Emergency space blanket
  8. Cell phone with solar charger
  9. Sunscreen insect repellant

Give your kit a check up

Check your first-aid kits regularly to be sure that the flashlight batteries work & to replace supplies that have expired or been used up.

Consider taking a first-aid course through the American Red Cross. Contact your local chapter for information on classes
Prepare children for medical emergencies in age appropriate ways. The American Red Cross offers a number of helpful resources, including classes designed to help children understand & use first-aid techniques.

A very important matter to consider is what to do if there is an emergency that is of a destructive nature in some small or large part of our community. We recommend that every leader of faith consider having their people trained in how to help themselves & their family under the most dyer of circumstances by becoming Community Emergency Response Team (C.E.R.T.) trained. If for no other reason than to know what to do in an emergency that affects your Home & family it could be a life saving thing to do. Then after you have assessed your own family and can help out in your congregation then your religious leader could set up a plan on checking on your people’s needs. This can also be a big help to our community emergency services & first responders. After your congregation is secure then your church leader can check with Matt McGlown with the Pima County Office of Emergency Management at 502-to see if your team can be of any assistance in the community.