I am preparing a couple of Y2K "charity packages" for DGI friends and neighbors. I figure to put in a bag of rice, beans, soup, and water. Any of you have other suggestions? I don't have much cash and have no intention of encouraging their return, yet I am a christian and believe that some charity may be warranted. Maybe some candy for their kids, you know.....Anybody want to add to the list?

-- Ynott (Ynott@incorruptible.com), October 14, 1999

Answers

Of course, Ynott. I'd add pasta (spaghetti is 39-89 cents per pound), cans of V8 and fruit, vitamins, and a small first aid kit to the list. I know you want to stay within a limited budget - that's the best I can do.

-- mil (millenium@yahoo.com), October 14, 1999.

Cat food.

Why not? Cheap, nutritious, beats the alternative.

-- Spanky (nospam@spamme.not), October 14, 1999.

Give 'em a few cans of Snausages and a can of Cheese Whiz. They'll love you forever. It's the closest thing to meat you can get without spending a lot, and with a little squirt of Cheese Whiz they are magnifique! Mmmmmmm goooood... tasty!!

-- @ (@@@.@), October 14, 1999.

water--i bought a good filter so that i can provide that easily. i gotta admit that even though i have bought extra for others--i just don't know how that gets accomplished. i have seventy houses in my immediate neighborhood. my entire supply (if everyone gets wind that i have given to someone) would be nothing more than a "snack" for the neighborhood? so how do you provide for some and not for all in that kind of proximity?

-- tt (cuddluppy@yahoo.com), October 14, 1999.

Sleeping pills

-- Dan G (earth_changes@hotmail.com), October 14, 1999.

With neighbors like these, who needs enemies?! LOL

-- Jay Urban (jurban@berenyi.com), October 14, 1999.

This forum is good for the soul. You fellas crack me up.

-- mil (millenium@yahoo.com), October 14, 1999.

I think it is important to think about 'how' you are going to present this care package. One doesn't want to give the impression that it is one of many, nor is it a good idea to make it 'too' elaborate.

If it looks too well thought out, it gives the impression that what you are giving out may only be a small part of your preps (and that is probably correct).

I think it would be a mistake to make these care packages look like a gift from the Welcome Wagon. Don't get me wrong; we are putting some provisions by to share with others. We're just not planning on advertising what we have by making it real elaborate.

Just don't give people a reason to ask "What ELSE do they have?".

-- Wilferd (WilferdW@aol.com), October 14, 1999.

If you give them anything, they will remember you when they are starving and desperate. Then they will kill you and your family and take what you have.

Don't be a victim.

-- (its@coming.soon), October 14, 1999.

Hand granades.... Takes care of the fact that they will not come back after they have digested the contends of the pagage. :-)

-- just (just@letgo.net), October 14, 1999.

Raspberries. Get it? RASPBERRIES! LOL:P

-- CygnusXI (noburnt@toast.net), October 14, 1999.

Safeway brand "Gravy Train". Just add some warm water and they will have a hot meal. I've bought 10 bags of dog food for my dogs, I will spare one for my starving DWGI neighbors. Let them go to the soup kitchens and shelters.

-- Bill (y2khippo@yahoo.com), October 14, 1999.

Boxes of Kraft Macaroni and Cheese (Original Flavor). They can find wood to cook outside. People are creative when they need to be.

-- no talking please (breadlines@soupkitchen.gov), October 14, 1999.

There are a number of ways I will be able to help my neighbors this winter, but taking them in for more than a few hours is not one of them. So last summer I divided my oversized wood between them. It was the pieces that were too long for my wood stove but fine in their fireplaces. Even staked it for them. Should be enough to tide them over for 2 or 3 days, then the fools can go to a shelter. Probably the only preparation "they" will have done.

Meanwhile, I have been collecting items for XMAS gifts. The more practical (but bulky) include oil lamps, lamp oil, and collapsible 5-gallon water containers. The types of foods I have been collecting with the intent to distribute if necessary include rice&canned peas and spaghetti&sauce&canned meat.

-- Brooks (brooksbie@hotmail.com), October 14, 1999.

I know Bardou will get a kick out of this! I had originally thought about getting a small soup kitchen going in our neighborhood, but have run into some small (grin) problems. I haven't been able to get the wood stove, pots, or water storage to make this fly. I also wanted to lay in enough seed for the whole neighborhood to get a start on their victory gardens -- if victory gardens are required next spring. This hasn't worked out either. But if I can make it happen, I certainly will. If you have a hand pump on your well, a wood stove, and some big stock pots and oven, soup powder and wheat berries are relatively cheap. And 1999 seed is pretty cheap right now. I estimated that the soup powder and wheat grain (to provide one month of three meals per day) and seed for twenty families would cost about $500.00. Add two more cords of cured, split hard wood. This seems like a lot of money, but it is a relatively cheap price to pay for good will and mutual protection. Now the idea is not to rely wholly on the soup and wheat grain, this buys the neighborhood some peace of mind, time to get your bearings, organize, and work out solutions for the defense of the neighborhood, care of the elderly and the infirm, and obtaining provisions from government and private sources. If you were previously unsuccessful in getting the neighborhood to make contingency plans, you should be ready with printed materials for distribution to everyone when TSHTF. Sincerely, Stan Faryna ...

Got 14 days of preps? If not, get started now. Click here.

Click here and check out the TB2000 preparation forum.

-- Stan Faryna (faryna@groupmail.com), October 14, 1999.

Your right Stan, I did get a kickout of this thread, I was ROTFLMAO!

no talking please - don't forget a couple cans of canned milk for the macaroni and cheese. They'll get pissed if they have to use water.

Bill - Gravy Train? too expensive, Ol' Roy is my dog food of choice for the DWGI neighbors.

Ynott - Your heart be in the right place, but where's your brains? "and have no intention of encouraging their return." If you don't want to encourage their return, then don't do anything at all. If you feel you must do something to ease your conscience, set aside in a box beans, rice, water, cans of tomatoes, and a couple cans of SPAM. When the time comes and they knock on your door, hand out the box. Just be prepared for them to come back for more and then what will your conscience tell you? Take food out of your children's mouth so someone else can eat? People will be like stray dogs and cats, feed them once and they'll keep returning for more.

Stan, after one day of soup and wheat berries, and knowing human nature, they're going to get pretty darn upset when they have to eat it day after day. You have to realize that these people are coming off a Burger King high. Maybe you can find a way to ease them into your diet of soup. Inexpensive cans of dog and cat food might be a way to go to stretch the soup and would make it flavorful (don't give out your secret recipe). Clip dog and cat food coupons from the Sunday paper to save money. Bon Apetite'

-- bardou (bardou@baloney.com), October 14, 1999.

This very item came up during construction going on at my home, the contractor noticing all the stored items said "gee now I know where to go, if Y2K is for real, I'll be taking your whole can chickens," I said #1 lst you have to make it to my home, #2nd I hope you like rice and beans, he said no way I'm going for the good stuff, I gave him Michael Hyatt's book & said you better prepare for yourself becuase my 12 gauge will be loaded. This was last year, I asked him this past month, did you read the book? NO and I know I should have something on hand, my wife doesn't think anything will happen, but you know Judy all the guys at working are laughing at you, and I hope you know when nothing happens they will never let you forget this, I said hey it's a gamble, and I'm betting that all HEll is going to let loose.

Over a year & half ago I spoke w/the neighbors & by looking into their 3 car garages I can tell they have done nothing. OH WELL!

The prospect of living 4 miles from a jail w/200 inmates is enough strain on the nerves than worrying about people who knows the score, what happens when you have give your food away and your sitting there wishing you had not given it away to begin with, how long do you plan on going hungry? Maybe Dan G's idea is not so off the mark Sleeping Pills.

-- Judy (dodgeball@aol.com), October 14, 1999.

Stan and the others who reccommend going all the way or not at all have the right idea. I suggest stocking up for the neighbors, but do it in "person years" of food, not "person days". That way, I have 100 person years of food, I will feed my closest 100 neighbors, no more PERIOD. If that means a relentless gun battles, well, then I'll have 100 new friends. That's just too bad. remember WE ARE NOT THE RED CROSS. But, if you can gather the bulk foods, whether dog food or flour or rice or cornmeal or whatever. Then your average neighbor will probably have canned goods for (hope hope) a couple weeks. So if they can get bulk from you they may be able to stretch their meager stash till the early harvest. But, if you give them gift baskets... and that's all they have... they WILL COME BACK. Go all the way or don't go at all. For the guy whose contractor saw his preps and did nothing, buy A LOT of shotgun shells, ro move, your choice, but they know where you live now.

-- jeremiah (Braponspdetroit@hotmail.com), October 14, 1999.

I plan on including maps to the local Y2K bunker for the politicians. So the DGI's know who to go to for further supplies. :)

-- James Collins (jacollins@thegrid.net), October 14, 1999.

Garbage pickup day is Tuesday, I do an eye check of the garbage cans lined up on the street and what's sticking out of them. Empty pizza boxes, bags of soft drink cans, beer cans, wine bottles, frozen food boxes, and cereal boxes. People don't cook anymore, too busy working to pay the mortgage and who wants to cook when they spend hours commuting? So you toss your neighbors a sack of rice or beans, will that satisfy them? I doubt that my average neighbors have canned goods, etc. They'll eat up their frozen pizzas and pot pies and I suspect they'll be knocking on my door soon after wanting some canned tamales and Dinty Moore beef stew. My neighbors are on their own because they failed to listen, and it isn't my problem.

-- too bad for you (toobadforyou@toobadforyouu.xcom), October 14, 1999.

Check out my template,/a> for a neighborhood foodbank.

-- bw (home@puget.sound), October 14, 1999.

Actually, I agree with you for the most part. I had originally planned on doing nothing for them which is why my preps in that regard are so late in coming. However, my situation is somewhat different from the rest of you folks. I am part of the Navy community overseas. There is no base and none of us live near each other. Yet we are also not too far apart. If worse should come to worse, we will be "together" anyway. I'd hate to antagonize existing relationships over a situation which will undoubtedly be a shared group experience. Therefore, I decided that I should "rustle up" some staples for the short term until they all get their act together. We are Americans living among strangers. People we have known usually less than two years. I intend to maintain my ties to my community as long as possible. Plus, the security at the base are the only folks allowed guns!

-- Ynott (Ynott@incorruptible.com), October 14, 1999.

For families I have extra rice. For impolite people how about exlax laced soup? Just a suggestion if you have some extra money. For the rude .22, 7.65, 9mm and the good old 00. P.S. After eating the exlax you can sell them TP.

-- Mr. Pinochle (pinochledd@aol.com), October 14, 1999.

I have in mind a specialty case of canned baked beans I suspect of harboring botulsim. My next-door neighborr is a computer programmer for Intel and for the last 14 months has been arguing with me and ridiculing the very notion of prepration for ANYTHING. He has his family, wife and two children -- I have mine. The idea of sharing anythign with this goof after the scorn his professional expertise has showered on me -- greatly stressing my marriage and increasing the labor of Y2k preps -- is utterly intolerable. Botulism beans and gerbil food. Sorry.

-- SH (squirrel@hunter.com), October 14, 1999.

If you attempt to feed the starving masses you will become the starving masses.Either through attrition by giving out handouts(a vain attempt to replace the welfare state)or having it taken at gunpoint by envious neighbors who resent asking a stockpiling (read,hoarding)neighbor.If people are going door to door begging a handout they will scapegoat you and redistribute what is rightfully yours.If severe(no food)problems occur people will suffer because they will find themselves in a situation they did not want to face when the had a chance to take personel responsibility for their own lives.People who come to my door will see the muzzle of my mossberg allong with the assurance that if they come back they will be viewed as a hostile intruder.No one(or even many)of us can feed the world.Noah certianly felt compassion and pity as he watched the masses suffer and drown.But he did not allow his sentiment to become sentimentality,destoying everything his familie worked for.(according to Judeo-Christian myth,the entire future of human and animal life).

-- zoobie (zoobiezoob@yahoo.com), October 14, 1999.

The person you assist will delay action for 2-3 days and then walk down the road alone. The masses will be 2-3 days before him and her and some form of the Viet Cong will be right on his or her tail.

The Naval War College has already put out warnings to nations advising "to not let the people congregate around relief centers." That is not represenative of 15 desperate people but crowds so large and out of control the aid is armed, in a hysterical panic trying to maintain control, and being over run by massive numbers of people, and you're going to play "relief camp?"

Whoever you help will return the next day, the individual missed going along with the general masses, and word spread to 40,000 others that someone is handing out food...that someone has food. A guy or two with rifles are not going to be able to control that crowd of folk.

Being discreet has to be the largest item stockpiled in ones preparations. Fantasies of oneself being featured in the history books as "the one who saved the people" are not realistic. What is realistic is to have a few large cans of food and/or some items to donate to a relief center, if one can do so safely and if it is needed at all.

-- Paula (chowbabe@pacbell.net), October 14, 1999.

OK...this is a tough one for me.

A bunch of you are talking about not sharing ANYTHING for fear it will be the end of your supplies...and I believe you are correct. HOWEVER...if someone comes to my door with their hungry children, then im screwed....i will not let them go without food. Maybe that will be my undoing...

I was wondering what you people intend to do about THE SMELL OF FOOD COOKING at your house. In the Medium/Worst case scenario, you have people wondering the streets looking for food...how the hell are you going to fool people into thinking you have nothing when the smell of that Hormel Chili starts floating off your house?

It will be like a freakin dinner bell! Anyone figure out a way to defeat this?

-- Cory Hill (coryh@strategic-services.net), October 14, 1999.

A bunch of you are talking about not sharing ANYTHING for fear it will be the end of your supplies...and I believe you are correct. HOWEVER...if someone comes to my door with their hungry children, then im screwed....i will not let them go without food. Maybe that will be my undoing...

You are correct. It will be.

I was wondering what you people intend to do about THE SMELL OF FOOD COOKING at your house. In the Medium/Worst case scenario, you have people wondering the streets looking for food...how the hell are you going to fool people into thinking you have nothing when the smell of that Hormel Chili starts floating off your house?

It will be like a freakin dinner bell! Anyone figure out a way to defeat this?

Don't answer the door. If they try to break in, shoot them. Problem solved.

-- (its@coming.soon), October 14, 1999.

My plan:

Stage I: "Hide out" for the duration of the initial panic at loss of power, heat, whatever. Don't answer the door. If people show up and threaten you, don't even tell them to get lost - fire a shot over their bow. If they're still there and they draw a weapon, kill them and feed them to the pigs: they are robbers and you will be doing the world a favor; you have a right to defend your life and your home. If they are simply persistent beggars, tell them once to get lost, then ignore them or scare them away, as you choose. You have no moral or spiritual obligation to give up your hard-earned property to beggars at your door, on their demand.

Stage II: Once the situation is stabilized and the sheeple have collapsed in exhaustion after a good panic, sally forth and find out what the needs of the community are (assuming you have someone at home to guard your storage). You might be able to contribute food, or labor, or help building a shelter or public waste-disposal system... if there's not prolonged anarchy, there WILL be some community effort to get through it. Talk to your local hospital; if there's no ambulance service (no oil pumping + no oil refining = no fuel = no ambulance) there might be some kind of bicycle brigade set up. Helping people IS "good for the soul." It's as basic to our makeup as the need for food. Be selfish, then take care of your family and friends, then help other people to help themselves. We all need help at some time or other. When we don't, that's our time to give back. It's no big deal; it just makes us human.

Humanoid

-- Humanoid (humanoid@gwell.net), October 14, 1999.

I have thought long and hard about charity in Y2K. I think it is important to carefully consider what you are willing to give and what you are not.

We have decided we will give a nutrition bar or can of ravoli or evaporated milk for the children to our neighbors immediately north, south and west of us and then discuss with them the location of shelters and food banks. That,in addiition to being available if any of my 18 family members, half GI, half DGI, living in the area show up at our house,together will caring for my 72 year old mother living three blocks west of us, using Cobra radio communication when she returns to her house after staying at our home during initial period of unrest, is all we feel we can handle.

We we are armed and have been target practicing all summer in case that is what is needed to make our position absolutely clear. This past February, I gave Y2K and preparation information to our block watch chairman and two other active leaders on the block to give to the rest of the neighbors. And I limped over to give them that information while coping with the initial stages of an MS exaccerbation. That is all we can do hear locally. Any other neighbors are on their own to find shelter, food and water.

We plan to give a "special gift" to the six children we sponsor in India, Africa and Guatamala for extra food for the new year. We will not mention Y2K because we are unaware of where their awareness is. We will not send a large amount for the gift because we do not want to make them targets.

I am a retired MSW and CRC (Certified Rehabilitation Counselor. I am trained to "enpower" people to make their own decisions and then live with the consequences. I am very saddened that people will suffer. But I am only one person, I know my limits and vulnerabilities and I can make very good decisions.

IMHO, Y2K is about the ability to make decisions, a difficult process when coupled with anticipatory grief and the stress of everyday work and commuting. Not making a decision is a decision. I will respect the decision of the DGI not to prepare but I am unwilling to shoulder the natural consequences of their decisions. I respect them and hold them accountable for their preparedness or lack of preparedness.

I have purposefully laid low since last February, simply listening if people think Y2K will be not bad, and agreeing that I hoped it would not be bad also.

Because I have laid low, this forum has been a invaluable source of information and support for my preparations. To Brian, Diane, Old Git, Sysman, and all the rest of you who post intelligently, I thank you from the bottom of my heart for your time, effort and persistance admidst so much deliberate disinformation.

Blessings and peace to you all, GI's and DGI's alike. I appreciate all of your perspectives and feelings.

-- Leslie (***@***.net), October 14, 1999.

From: Y2K, ` la Carte by Dancr (pic), near Monterey, California

I've just decided I'm going to make up an attractive poster (at my community's mailbox collection) to promote a local farmer's Community Supported Agriculture [CSA] program. Then, I'm going to distribute flyers for it door to door. The more people in this neighborhood that we can get signed on to the program, the more interested the farmer will be in continuing weekly deliveries to this neighborhood. (He's already delivering to just me.)

Also, if gas prices rise so high that the farmer cannot deliver (even though we will have paid in advance for a full year, and he really is obligated), the more neighbors involved in the program, the more worthwhile it will be to send one of us out to the farm to make the pickup for everyone.

For just $15 per week, we are having delivered about double the quantity of produce as what I could purchase for the same money at my favorite grocery store. An additional benefit is that this is grown organically, which the store bought often is not. CSA farmers often provide only organic produce, because this is part of the reason that they are preferred over store bought.

We're still rearranging things so that we can make use of that much produce. I say this as a familly that is in the habit of eating quite a bit of produce already. I'm considering doubling the order in order to have that much available next year, and this year donating the excess to a local soup kitchen. Next year we may be easily able to eat more produce than we do now.

Locally grown and delivered food makes a good candidate for sharing with neighbors, especially if it can be arranged with the farmer to not deliver it at the same time every week. Sharing incoming food would not draw attention to food that has been stockpiled.

-- Dancr (addy.available@my.webpage), October 14, 1999.

Usually I try to be an optimist, and I also must consider the points of sharing food with neighbors. However, I live in a very remote area and I can count the total amount of neighbors I have w/in one square mile on my fingers. Does that make me feel more secure about sharing? Probably yes, but that still would shorten my families safty net.

We often speak of being able to see the big picture, the "connectedness" of all things on this forum, but some of you that live in more populated areas are being blinded by your generosity and compassion.

Being able to visualize the many people in need is only a part of the total picture. You must also be able to visualize at the same time the elements at play in the societal environment that would create masses of hungry people. During a "temporary, 72 hour, localized inconvenience", yes, go for it. But at what point in time during that 72 hours will you know the lights are about to come back on? If the stores are empty beyond this time, the S has already HTF. The guessing game is over.

Each of those 10, 40 or 100 people that you hope to provide for, have another 10, 15 or 20 other people that they care about. They will not eat if their parents or children across town are not. Would you? How do you figure how long supplies will last based on this? Do you say parents ok, cousins not, drinking buddies no way?

If things actually get so bad that one is faced with this dilema, one should be seriously considering "Plan B" because "Plan A" has just been made obsolete.

-- Lilly (homesteader145@yahoo.com), October 14, 1999.

You do what you think is best. I'll do what I think is best. And, by the way, no one knows how things are going to turn out. But I have a feeling that some of you will be dialing up from prison next year-- if you are lucky.

-- Stan Faryna (faryna@groupmail.com), October 15, 1999.

Whatever is leftover from the Halloween candy. (Usually lots of stuff.)

-- King of Spain (madrid@aol.um), October 15, 1999.

Leslie,

You can not "enpower" anyone. I know that your training has led you to think otherwise but you CAN NOT. If a person has not enpowered themselves by the time they reach adulthood, well....(and i know a lot of bleeding hearts will faint at the thought) nothing and I mean NOTHING you do can or will change things. Oh, some folks may change their ways just to please you and receive the reward at the end of the stick, but you can really never change them.

-- sigmund (hate your @mother?.com), October 16, 1999.

A fly swatter.

-- Will continue (farming@home.com), October 16, 1999.

From: Y2K, ` la Carte by Dancr2 (pic), near Monterey, California

Whoops, I just realized I need to enter a disclaimer here (or whatever it is called), because some might try to claim that I had promoted something with the idea of profiting from it. I am heavily invested in nationally distributed organic produce. The recommendation to buy into a CSA is actually counter self interest, since it would help our competitors to become established and to grow.

In case of fuel shortages produce imported from other states would experience drastic price hikes, since the bulk of their cost is transportation.

-- Dancr (addy.available@my.webpage), October 19, 1999.

Let me explain to you people who think you can shoot hungry children what happens when you deny your humanity. The fire that burns inside of you, that makes you want to live, that makes you believe you are a good person, goes out. Then you don't want to live anymore.

Let me give you an example. Do you remember the plan for the Columbine incident vs. what actually happened? The plan was to blow up the whole school and then hop an airplane. Instead they killed themselves after killing about 12 students. Do you know why? Because the fire went out when they saw what they had done, and they didn't want to live anymore. That's what will happen to you.

You would be surprised how long a small child can live on a box of crackers and a jar of peanut butter. The big people may have to lose some weight. If you provide food to a neighbor, it will tell them two things:

1. This is a nice person.

2. This person has one less jar of peanut butter.

As you hand out food, you can get into a discussion of who has guns, who can hunt, who has a chain saw, etc. Initially, yes, they will be freaking out. Talk to them. Show them alternatives. Assure them that the problems are short-term. Get them to work together.

You didn't get this far in life without somebody helping you. Now turn the gift around.

-- Amy Leone (leoneamy@aol.com), October 22, 1999.

Let me explain to you people who think you can shoot hungry children what happens when you deny your humanity. The fire that burns inside of you, that makes you want to live, that makes you believe you are a good person, goes out. Then you don't want to live anymore.

As opposed to letting someone else decide whether you should "live anymore."

Let me give you an example. Do you remember the plan for the Columbine incident vs. what actually happened? The plan was to blow up the whole school and then hop an airplane. Instead they killed themselves after killing about 12 students. Do you know why? Because the fire went out when they saw what they had done, and they didn't want to live anymore.

No, it was because they didn't have enough explosives, they realized they were going to get caught, and they were delusional idiots.

You would be surprised how long a small child can live on a box of crackers and a jar of peanut butter.

You would be surprised how quickly a small child can shoot several deadly rounds into you or your small child.

The big people may have to lose some weight. If you provide food to a neighbor, it will tell them two things:

1. This is a nice person.

1. This is a vulnerable, stupid, and soon-to-be dead person.

2. This person has one less jar of peanut butter.

2. And will soon have many less after he is killed.

As you hand out food, you can get into a discussion of who has guns, who can hunt, who has a chain saw, etc. Initially, yes, they will be freaking out. Talk to them. Show them alternatives. Assure them that the problems are short-term. Get them to work together.

Oh yes. Try getting them all to sing "We Are The World" while you're at it. Just as long as you and your family are wearing body armor.

You didn't get this far in life without somebody helping you. Now turn the gift around.

Just don't turn your back. Ever.

-- (its@coming.soon), October 22, 1999.

maps of local streams, springs and water sources

-- (water@water.not.everywhere), October 22, 1999.

From: Y2K, ` la Carte by Dancr (pic), near Monterey, California

I plan to spend most of my Y2K charity beforehand. I've spent several hundred dollars on the Utne Reader: Citizen's Action Guide, which I will set out at the community mailboxes a few days before the next neighborhood association meeting. These will be the second batch of brochures I've bought. In a few weeks I'll be setting out a third one which was produced by the California Office of Emergency Management. After that I may put out the Red Cross one... Each one advises preparations, with the earlier ones advising more.

Since I think the biggest danger to most people will be access to pure water, I'm stocking enough granulated hyperchlorinator (pool chlorine) to purify water for the entire neighborhood for a year.

I'm also designing a roof water catchment system that can be made from PVC parts... something that can be cut and shaped without power tools. I'm buying enough parts to serve the whole neighborhood. So far I've only got enough to serve the minimal drinking and cooking needs of thirty families. I will, of course, encourage everyone to go and get more, as soon as I am able.

If the situation continues for months, I will work to build solar pasturizers. Of course, I plan to also teach water conservation.

I'll be happy to share space in my little refrigerator with anybody who has medications they'd like to have last longer (even if it's not normally necessary to refrigerage it). Since we have a lot of elderly neighbors, this may be appreciated.

As mentioned above, I'm encouraging folks to sign up with various local farmers who are involved in Community Supported Agriculture [CSA]. I think I have 17 #10 cans of a variety of seeds. This is supposedly enough to easily feed as many families if we knew what we were doing.

I'm collecting grocery sacks for distribution during the first few days of any sewage service problems, for use until a more permanent solution can be devised (such as a community latrine).

In case the schools close, I would hope to be a calming influence on parents who fear for their children's futures because of that.

Somebody who's going by the name "Eyell Makedo" started a thread about neighborhood organizing, and I think there are many ideas there on what one can do now to help keep people working together. This is another way to share of your self.

In my first post to this forum I detailed what I had done to that point to help in neighborhood organization (June 11th). That, plus what a mentioned here, is about all the sharing I'm set up to do, so far.

-- Dancr (addy.available@my.webpage), October 22, 1999.

"some will be dialing up from prison?" For what, defending your property? I can imagine that there's a few people here that will be dead before it's all over. Not from a lack of food, but from stupidity. My sister has let her friends and coworkers know that she's ready for Y2K. She's been harping on people for 1-1/2 years. Now that we are about 60+ days away from the big event, she wishes now she hadn't of told anyone what she is doing. It'a too late now, she goes to bed worrying about the neighbors and everyone else that knows where all the food and water is. People have told here they will be coming to her door ITSHTF. Knowing human nature, the most agile person can become a devil.

-- tight lipped (tightlipped@tightlippedd.xcom), October 22, 1999.