How to Start an Emergency Food Pantry

Hurricane Katrina and other natural disasters have raised awareness of the need for emergency preparedness. The American Red Cross recommends having a gallon of water per person per day, enough food for three days that you can just grab and go, and enough food for two weeks if you are able to stay in your home. You also need medications, pet food and supplies, first-aid supplies, flashlights and batteries, as well as blankets.

Things You'll Need

• Half-gallon bottles of water
• Canned milk and juice
• Canned fruit and vegetables
• Canned beans
• Canned pasta
• Canned meats
• Rice and grains
• Dried soups
• Dried fruit
• Canned protein drinks
• Protein bars
• Instant Coffee
• Tea bags
• Bottled oil
• Hard candy
• Honey or molasses
• Cooking utensils
• Fuel for cooking
• Can opener
• Matches in a waterproof container
• Marking pen

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Instructions

• 1

  Make an exact list of foods and supplies you would need for three days. For instance, if there are four people in your household, you would need 12 gallons of water and enough food for nine meals for four people. For meal ideas, think of canned foods and other foods that don't need to be refrigerated. You can choose from canned meats, soups, chili, canned vegetables and freeze-dried entrees, grains, fruits and vegetables. Canned beans can be cooked with freeze-dried vegetables, for instance, to make an easy, healthy main dish.

• 2

  Start gradually. Every time you buy groceries, buy something that is on your emergency list and a gallon of water.Put them in your emergency cupboard. You don't need to buy everything at once. Buy things you know your family will eat. Buy a container of alcohol cooking gel every time you go shopping until you have enough for nine meals.

• 3

  Put cooking utensils, can opener, matches and cooking fuel in the emergency cupboard too. On the inside of the cupboard door place a list of everything in the cupboard. Use a marking pen to mark the date of purchase on every item as you put it in there.

• 4

  Start rotating foods and water out of your cupboard, placing newer replacements toward the back and the older items toward the front. You don't want to have to eat beans from a 10-year-old can in case of an emergency, so gradually use up and replace the items in your emergency cupboard.

• 5

  Add items for longer-term emergencies. Gradually buy MREs, meals-ready-to-eat, from camping stores or online camping suppliers until you have enough on hand for your entire family for two weeks. These generally have a very long shelf life, so you only need to replace them after they have been in your emergency cupboard for a few years. Write the expiration date on each package in large numbers with your marking pen.