I am going through an experience right now that showed me the value of having an emergency pantry.
I was at work on Thursday and sprained my knee rather severely. I heard and felt a pop, and I could not straighten my leg or get my knee to bear any weight. A secretary got me an office chair to hang on to, and the facilities manager had an emergency set of crutches in her office. I could not move my leg, so I had them call 911. Fire department came, ice packed my knee and called for an ambulance. I was on the seventh floor by the elevators, so they put me on a hydraulic gurney and took me to the emergency room. ER doc diagnosed a knee sprain and partial or complete torn ligament. Hits me with morphine shot (knee swollen very badly) and they splint me up. Crutches and discharged with pain meds prescription.
No wife or family here on my new job in new city, and no friends, so I had the hospital call me a cab, and they dispatched a Ford Crown Vic, which has the big back seat so I can scoot in backwards with my knee immobilized.
I had run low on groceries, and was planning to shop after work that day, but got home with nothing but milk and coffee, and some condiments left in the fridge.
Luckily I had been stocking up on emergency food supplies, so I have some canned fish: tuna, smoked salmon, smoked trout, sardines, and some chili and soups. Powdered Gatorade and tea bags for drinks, and a Pur faucet-end water filter so I have drinking water.
But otherwise I would have been pretty much screwed....
The morphine had me drowsy, so dinner that night was walnuts and beef jerky, washed down with some Dr. Pepper Ten from a case of cans I just added to the emergency pantry. Exhausted from a bad day, I fall asleep on the couch.
The next day I call my new boss, worried about my car I had to leave in the parking lot.
My boss is cool as can be, and sends a secretary out to buy me groceries after making out a shopping list with me on the phone. Then my boss has a co-worker drive over and get my car keys, and then another co-worker drives my car home for me. So they stocked up my fridge for me (my boss popped for the groceries, no questions asked) and the secretary put everything away for me. Brought me my laptop and phone with chargers.
They even threw some Oreos in the bag.... Is that cool or what?
So, thanks to a great boss and great co-workers, I can survive being a peg leg until I see the orthopedic surgeon next week.
The moral of the story is prepping may have saved my a$$ if my boss & co-workers weren't so cool helping me out.
In case of a medical emergency, an emergency pantry could literally have saved someone's life.
My backup plan was food delivery from restaurants, but in a gated community after hours, and no way to open the front gate without walking out to click the clicker, I was in deep trouble for the weekend...until my work buddies bailed me outta the jam.
So, keep an emergency pantry stocked up - I could have been in for a real bad (and hungry) weekend otherwise....
People can make fun of preppers all they want - all I know was I was pretty happy knowing I had some food and beverages stashed away....
