72 Hour Food Kit

This past weekend we were able to be uplifted and taught by some great leaders in our church.  It was 2 days filled with wonderful messages, promises, and teaching of Jesus Christ.  We look forward to it twice a year.  But sometimes it's a little hard to pay attention.  Especially when their are 5 boys running around like crazy!  I tried to think of some things to keep them occupied and at least sit there for a little bit to listen to these great men and women of our church.  I printed off some great packets that had crossword puzzles, coloring pages, trivia questions, and matching pictures.  This kept them listening for awhile.  For years I have been wanting to put together our 72 hour kits.  I thought this would be the perfect opportunity.  So Saturday night, I made my list and went off to the store to get the things I needed.  I researched a lot and became VERY overwhelmed.  72 hour kits can as elaborate as you want them to be!  So instead of getting so overwhelmed to the point of giving up, I decided to start basic.  I got the stuff I needed to make our 72 FOOD kits.  Here is the list of things that are in OUR kits.

1 Can Soup
2 Packets Ramen
2 applesauce cups
1 cup fruit
1 pudding cup
3 peanut butter snack cups
1 package tuna/crackers
3 boxes raisins
3 granola bars
3 hot chocolate mixes
1 chocolate milk
1 juice box
30 pieces of hard candy (not mint)

I put everything in groups and gave the boys a big 2 gallon ziplock bag.  Then I told them how much of each item to put in their bag.  There were having so much fun putting it together.  It was a great family activity.  We explained to the kids why we were doing it and gave some examples of dissasters that had happened where these kits would have come in handy.

I know that we have WAY more to do to put together more for our kits.  For example, a Sanitary kit, clothes, money, medicine, water, sleeping bags, etc.... My next goal is to get 7 different backpacks and put our food kits and anything else we might need in those.  Then have them for easy access so if we need to leave in a rush, we can all grab our backpacks and go.

For now our food kits are sitting nicely in our pantry and next October General Conference, we get to enjoy all our snacks and rotate them for new snacks.  I had made sure that everything in our packs would stay good for at least a year.

There you have it, a simple way to get started on your 72 hour kit.