First this is not a boasting tread.  I see that a lot of people don't have a clue as whats going on and are not prepared for anything.
I find they don't have a flashlight or first aid kit in their vehicle,.They  may have a firearm, but haven't shot it.

Case pinpoint I find clamshell hard eye glass s cases at the thrift store. I dump the glasses out and use them for mini first aid or sewing kits. The thrift store  gal sees me doing this and ask me why. I tell her. I ask if she has a first aid kit in her car? No. I come back with one, Neossporin, band aids and eye drops and give it to her. I ask if she has a firearms, yes but she hasn't shot it, ne ammo. I invite to take her out to the range on me.

Elderly neighbor  living by herself near me. She listened to me and  stocked up on food when it was cheap.  I tell her about the Europe heating problems.  I ask if she has enough wood for her fireplace in case bhien sells  our natural gas to Europe raising the our cost .Her  stock is low. Suggest she order some more, just in case things get icky.

I have found some people won't do anything, but you can plant seeds. Get with the people  you would want to survive and increase our base, and their chances. The thrift store gal saves wool blankets for me, the other lady watches my place when we are gone. I feel we need to take care of another. It not that hard.

I've been helping some co-workers store food in mylar & buckets.

Today, OP was a really neat guy.

Good work OP.

I suggest a lot of things to a lot of people.  Most people dismiss it.  They'll suffer later but hey, I tried.

I think in the long term it would be wise of us to make friends with the local hardware store, grocery store, auto mechanic. The ones in my small town are pro gun and freedom.
If the icky comes, my guys will remember the free box of ammo, doughnuts, or just picking things up from the big city for them. I would suggest we network together, we will be stronger.
Build your base now.

For the last few years I’ve been looking at things a bit more practically.  Most people don’t have some isolated BOL to ride out the end of the world.  It started with reading up on extended duration disasters and how most isolated locations lacked the man power to maintain 24/7 security along with work details needed to sustain life, or resist a collective redistribution of the fruits of your life.

I got to know my neighbors fairly well the last few years with what I call BBQ diplomacy.  I came to realize most had at least some preps in place but some issues like lack of water filtration, secure sanitation, etc was going to be an issue quickly but could be solved or mitigated for a reasonable amount of cash and know how to keep my neighbors out of the eat each other phase as long as possible.

I bought a bunch of 5 gallon buckets.  Some got turned into gravity water filters with a sawyer filter and chlorine.  Other buckets have been turned into compost toilets to protect the water sources we have in the area.

I also sourced some sand bags that I tied cord to.  The idea is when the sewage treatment plant goes down, block the manhole to limit back flow from the system main into our community.  These can also be dropped into clean outs set the home for additional protection.  These can be easily recovered when things go back to normal.  

Several of the neighbors already agreed to setting up a trash burn area if trash service stops to keep things sanitary, communal cooking to save fuel.  Most important is the skills to fix problems not just having things.  Things can be taken.  Skills can be leveraged.  I’m not going to do X until Y occurs.

Ultimately one of my plans entail securing my family by being that guy who is working his tail off and leading by example to keep the community in their homes, with water, etc so they don’t go zombie.  Sure I might spend more than others, might put in more effort, but if it could result in a safety bubble around my Wife and kids that is cheap investment.

If possible I’d like to help this community circle the wagons and hold fast, but if that isn’t feasible all of my gear is stowed and ready to load so I can be on the road with everything in 45 minutes.

Any recommendations on "extended duration disaster" reading?  I'm between books now and could use a new one.

The first that opened my eyes to some historical realities was Blockade  The Diary of an Austrian Middle-Class Woman1914-1924.  This includes an eye opening story of how a relative tried to only eat what the law allowed and ended up infirm unable to help anyone.  Its a good lesson in how to make sure you get your fill to stay productive.  My danger is giving up my food to my kids.  I do this frequently now when food isnt an issue, and if they were hungry I would have a tendency to give my rations to them and try to figure something else out.  Its also really good to read on how the currency crashed, inflation soared for life sustaining items like food and energy but most durable goods like fancy furniture, jewelry etc had little value to trade with.  Some good lessons on the food police and how it operated too.

Concrete Jungle by Clay Martin is a good lesson in the value of networks, how to use them and set them up.

Lastly anything you can get your hands on speaking to 4th but especially 5th generational warfare.  5th Gen because one needs to understand the game to inoculate their mind and the minds critical to your plans to the manipulations.

Agreed. Quite honestly, the more people (and family) around you that are prepared, the less hard it will be when hard times hit. I've seen enough people suffer around this globe and I don't wish it on anyone, even the ignorant. While it's a balance of your personal OPSEC and attempting to be an apostle prepper, hints, help, recommendations, discussions, assistance, etc. are worthwhile attempts at building a buffer around your own preparations.

Remember, those not prepared in good times will be a threat in bad times...

ROCK6

Tried to help some good friends. Worse mistake I've ever made. When I heard people talking behind my back about just going to my place and taking what I have.

Lesson learned I now will NOT help or even talk about the subject. Going dark and continuing on. Tough crap for them. Just goes to show how stupid people are. Cause when their life is on the line your worthless life means nothing to them.

Keep your mouth shut. Few weeks after it gets icky maybe see who's left and decide then if you want to help. NOT BEFORE..

I guess if you have the budget and storage space, it's the neighborly thing to do; however, today, many already have an expectation that someone is going to take care of them...you just filled that role. It would have to be different that a bucket of wheat these days as well as you adequately highlighted

I haven't really done this, except with one neighbor, but there are routinely seasonal opportunities to engage your neighbors and mention the need to have some basic preparations. Power is down for a few days after a major storm, check in and see if they have everything they need to make sure they get that covered the next time.

While not necessarily nearby neighbors, there area good dozen or so men from our church and we've had these discussions about being prepared. It's a loose relationship as we don't have anything formal established and OPSEC kind of keeps things at the surface level, but I'm pretty confident they are pretty well prepared. We've helped each other out with small things and there's a solid amount of trust. I just wish some lived closer to us.

My son is a younger 23-year old LEO and SWAT team guy with part time as an Infantry 2LT in the Guard. He's barely keeping his head above water financially as rent is raping him monthly. I'll continue to increase my food supplies for him and as he matures and settles into a home, I'll transfer most of them. I'm his bugout location right now.

Speaking of bugout locations...we are the Hurricane Emergency Center for my wife's family and we're getting her mother, sister and husband, and my wife's niece with her four young boys (her husband is stuck in Texas for work for another couple months) Tomorrow or Wednesday.  They all live in or just outside of Panama City, FL, and still have some PTSD from Hurricane Michael in 2018...PC still hasn't fully recovered.

We really only need to pick up snacks for the kids and extra beer for me and the BIL

ROCK6