72-hour kits: Food Packs

Our VERY old 72-hour Kit Food Packs

I taught a Family Home Evening lesson on preparedness this past Monday. Now I admit, my teens were somewhat bored, but we made it through the lesson. First, I had the kids do a little scavenger hunt to find flashlights, and fire extinguishers in the house. They did pretty well finding some. We talked about what types of disasters could happen within 5-miles of our home: fires, chemical spills on the freeway and railway, earthquakes (we live on the Wasatch Fault), power outage, etc. Then we discussed what they should do (an Emergency Plan) if something happened, and Mom or Dad were not home. We talked about evacuating by car, or by foot, and getting help from the neighbors.

Then they got out their 72-hour emergency backpacks from the front hall closet, opened them up and started to examine the contents. “These cheese & crackers look gross!” daughter #3 exclaimed. “And look at this beef jerky, Mom. It’s as hard as a rock.” Yes, we are way overdue on updating the food (October 2005), but at least they have plenty of water. So, I am creating a list of items to purchase next week for our new food packs.

The plan is to assemble them between sessions this coming General Conference weekend. Separating the food will help us not over eat our supplies. During the October General Conference weekend my goal is to update the food and clothes for the colder FALL/WINTER season. Understand that our kids are 4, 12, 15, and 17. Here is the list of SPRING/SUMMER food items that we will be putting in gallon-sized Ziplocs for 3 days. Every family should tailor food to family member needs.

As I worked out the pricing, I decided to serve the same items for 3 days. Most prices are from Sam’s Club and local grocery stores. I needed to beef up the calories so these are my results:

Day 1, Day 2, Day 3
.41 – Kellogg’s Pop tarts (twin) 4 oz., 234 cal

1.96 – 2 PowerBar Protein Plus bars 5.5 oz., 580 cal

.85 – Chef Boyardee Ravioli, or other 7.5 oz., 232 cal

.16 – Maruchan Ramen Noodle Soup, 3 oz., 380 cal
.29 – 2 Curious George MM Fruit Snacks 1.8 oz. , 200 cal

.41 – Del Monte Fruit cup 4 oz. can, 80 cal

.50 – Sunmaid Raisins 2 oz., 90 cal

.24 – Nature Valley O’N H Granola bar 1.5 oz., 180 cal
.13 – Quaker CC Granola bar .84 oz, 100 cal

.17 – Crystal Light powder stick .14 oz., 5 cal

.18 – Wrigley’s Doublemint gum 5 pc. 1.28 oz., 50 cal

.29 – 2 Arrowhead water bottle 16.9 oz. each, 0 cal

.10 – Germ-X Hand wipes 1 oz. approx.

.04 – Plastic fork/spoon

Total: $5.87 per day, 3.60 lbs.

Total Cost: $17.61 per person

Total Weight: 10.79 lbs.

Total Calories per day: 2131

Printables:
72-Hour Kit Food Packs.pdf
72-Hour Kit Food Packs.excel

Recommended Calories Per Day, Active (chose active because of stress)

Children 2 – 3, 1000 – 1400

Females 4 – 8, 1400 – 1800

Females 9 – 13, 1800 – 2200

Females 14 – 50, 2200 – 2400

Females 51+, 2000 – 2200

Male 4 – 8, 1600 – 2000

Males 9 – 13, 2000 – 2600

Males 14 – 50, 2800 -3000

Males 51+, 2400 – 2800

See Dietary Guidelines for Americans 2005, Table 3

Water:

Fema recommends you have 1 gal of water per day. Since we can’t carry all the water we want in our packs, I have a few cases of bottled water in the emergency closet. We also have a collapsible water container with a spout in case we need it to fill at an evacuation center.

I decided not to put these items in and here’s why:
Cheese & crackers – don’t store well in the heat
Beef jerky – hardens over time, and makes you thirsty
Nuts – salty, have short shelf life, can go racid
MRE’s – my kids are not used to them, but they work great for most people
Trail mix – can become rancid over a few months because of the nuts

As you gather items for your food packs, be cautious of food weight, shelf life, and saltiness. The Ramen noodles above are high in sodium, but lightweight and you can serve with cold water if you had to. They are also high in needed calories. Our packs have a camp cup too for food prep. I prefer to make our own kits so they are customized for each person, and it teaches the kids about preparedness.

Also check out my April 6th post.

(updated 3/27/09)