Prudent Prepping: Sharing What You Have

The dust has settled and the First 72 Hours have passed. Follow along as I build a long term plan via Prudent Prepping. 

It shouldn't be a surprise that the current news is filled with videos (some faked) of not-quite empty shelves at Costco, Sam's Club and grocery stores. Many people don't have a week's worth of groceries in their house. Now, since this current excitement is fairly slow-moving, most people will have time to get enough to see them through a couple weeks if their job or the kids school decides to close up for a bit.. but what about people that get a little behind the curve and miss out on really necessary supplies? What do they do?

To Share or Not to Share: 
There is no Question
I have a friend that has a child with Cystic Fibrosis. If you don't know what that is, here is a short explanation from Medical News Today:

Fast facts on cystic fibrosis

• Cystic fibrosis (CF) involves the production of mucus that is much thicker and more sticky than usual.
• It mainly affects the lungs and digestive system.
• CF is a hereditary condition that occurs in a child when both parents have the defective gene.
• All newborns in the U.S. are screened for CF.
• There is no cure, but good nutrition and taking steps to thin mucus and improve mucus expectoration can help.

So the child is susceptible to lung problems, some of them potentially life-threatening. This isn't a good place to be with a virus that causes lung problems, and my friend was blindsided by all the crazy buying and missed out on masks for his family. (Not N95 but N100, to keep the rest of his family as far from infecting the kid as possible.) They also didn't have disinfectant spray, but they did have plenty of bleach, gloves and food for a couple weeks, and plans to Bug Out to an isolated area, if conditions get stupid. 

Now, I don't see what's happening now as anything close to an apocalyptic event, so I chose to share information and gear with them. I gave them my extra spray disinfectant as well as a lead on where to get masks. 

How likely are you to have anyone this close to what I call A Very Bad Thing happening? I hope the answer is "Not likely at all."

What To Do

• Check in on your friends and family. My parents are quite elderly, and I'm telling them to stay in, don't go out unless absolutely necessary, and don't let anyone visit or drop in. I'm setting them up with food, and if they need anything I'll shop and leave a box on the porch.
• Check in on any widows/widowers, especially the men. My dad can do things for himself, but my mom has taken care of him forever that I don't know what he'd do without her.
• Do you know any single parents? Look in on them to see how they are doing and if they are set for keeping themselves protected. 
• Have any single young people at work or that you know? They may be in the same boat as the older folks, not knowing what to do or having the cash to do much.
• To be honest, I've had people check on me this past week. They don't know what I do in my spare time, they just know I'm single and want to know I'm doing okay. It's really nice to have friends.

Recap And Takeaway

• Be smart with what you have, both knowledge and equipment. You never know who might be able to return the favor in the future.
• Nothing was purchased this week, but my stores are being gone over to see what might be extra or able to be shared with out doing with less here.

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If you have comments, suggestions or corrections, please post them so we all can learn. And remember, Some Is Always Better Than None!

NOTE: All items tested were purchased by me. No products have been loaned in exchange for a favorable review. Any items sent to me for T&E will be listed as such. Suck it Feds.