“Charity Kits” after TSHTF

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I have often discussed the need for firearms to protect your family and supplies. After a TSHTF situation – those that cannot provide for themselves and family will seek to obtain supplies via any method necessary – including taking yours. What do you do? If you give away you supplies to help others you yourself will place your family’s welfare in jeopardy. One possible answer is to put together “Charity Kits” that you can hand out to those in need – to send them on their way with somethingand avoid a possible deadly situation.

Understand the situation and what may happen after a severe collapse. You will have friends and family that come to you looking for help. The neighbor three houses down with a wife and 6 month old child knocks on your door looking for help. You tell them “No” and they say “But Bill – we are friends. I had you over for a cookout this past summer.” How about your cousin Eddie – “But Bill – we are family!!” What happens when they don’t take “no” for an answer.

There are Pro’s and Con’s to providing to those without after a severe collapse.

The obvious Pro is helping your fellow man, women and child. Another is a feeling of satisfaction along with the absence of regret sending a desperate family down the road with nothing but hope to feed themselves with. One of the most important Pro’s is possibly avoiding a tactical situation where force may have to be used against another human being.

The biggest Con to me is you have now advertised that you have supplies. People talk and if you have provided “Charity Kits” to a family who then travels to the next town over – you may end up with many visitors on your doorstep. This could magnify a bad situation into a terrible one. The other Con that comes to mind is the fact that you have obviously given away supplies that might be needed at some point for your own family or group.

This is a personal decision that you have to decide for yourself. For me – I could not turn away a desperate family – especially if children are involved. My solution is to create inexpensive “charity kits” that can be handed out.

Charity Kit example list:

Shoebox filled with:

6 cans/packages food
2 bottles of water
can opener
knife
matches
butane lighter
small survival manual

The above is a simple, inexpensive kit that does not take up much space and is very portable. It is pretty easy to stack a few of these in a corner.

One of the biggest drawbacks to handing out Charity Kits to those deserving is that your doing so may get around. Those on the receiving end may come across others that are desperate and tell them about you. Soon there could be many banging on your door looking for help. Even worse – those “up to know good” may hear of your ability to hand out supplies and place a visit to your locale with ill intentions. Either one is not good.

The decision to help out your fellow man…….or not is a tough one.

What about you?

Rourke

Tags: charity, economic collapse, survival planning, survival supplies

economic collapse, Information, Supplies, Survival & Preparedness | Rourke December 9, 2010

11 Comments to ““Charity Kits” after TSHTF”

By Scott R, December 9, 2010 @ 2:56 am

Rourke I have to agree that giving out charity is the right thing to do but it is sure to invite trouble when you either run out of you can’t give anymore, tough choices without doubt. I see a few options, you appear to be as destitute as everyone else, or you make such a show of force while distributing that no one would think of getting stupid or you be in such an area that you do not have any interaction with anyone. Tough call.
By Allen, December 9, 2010 @ 4:00 am

Not just no, but Hell no.

The reason is as you stated; They will then know you have stuff and they will not only tell others, they will return to you and ask for more. I can understand that it would be hard to turn away a family with say a small child in their arms, but is it my/yours/ours fault that they are without? No it is not and my family should not have to pay the price for their failing to plan.

I have spent many weeks and months in third world counties and have seen first hand what happens to people when they are without and no hope of getting their needs met. They become what is really inside them.
By Justus, December 9, 2010 @ 12:57 pm

Helping others is admirable Rourke.
It seems to me that instead of spending money on the non-food items
maybe just put up more bulk food and first aid items and worry about
the packaging when/if something happens?

Churches and sometimes schools are the usual location for charity.
We regularly donate what we can.
IMO, It might be prudent to stay gray and direct the healthy-but-needy
to the nearest “center”.

I would like to add that if you are expecting an event this bad,
you might want to get some group security plans in place.
By Ollamha Anne, December 9, 2010 @ 2:09 pm

My take on this is that I’m not going to give away charity kits. A shoebox of food is only delaying the inevitable and is a sop to alleviate feelings of guilt at having been prepared and in a better position to survive. I earned those preparations. The hordes on the move did not. If I help someone, I will take him/her in.

Being prepared means being prepared to make hard choices. While I would like to think that my values will remain intact when the chips are down, and that my secret inner person is a good person, I also realize that being a good person is not the same as being kind. If I don’t put my family first, then I fail as a wife, parent and child.

I believe the better course of action then is to give “charity kits” now by giving “emergency car kits” and similar items as gifts. Give books that will hopefully open someone’s eyes. If you want to help people survive the future, do it now.
By carl, December 9, 2010 @ 2:15 pm

I have seen several times that JWR says to be charitable at arms length. I think that is easier said than done in a post SHTF situation especially in your own family or neighborhood. I live in a very rural area and I am seeing more and more recreational cabins being occupied full time by city refugies or thier adult children. This really worries me because they are city folks with the city mind set of taking without asking. Heck they are already desprite enough to try and live in the boonies in a cabin or RV. I think the best thing to do is keep a low profile and be as smart as possible post SHTF.

Rourke< in answer to your question over at the other site. Yes it seems so. I have cleaned twice now and it keeps coming back. Frustating…..
By Mitch, December 9, 2010 @ 3:11 pm

I think it best to setup a local place people can be sent to( On the survivlBlog site they talk about a church) or a known meeting place a lodge or rec-center. Give to them and then you have one level removed from you.
By huggy bear, December 9, 2010 @ 4:07 pm

I have to agree with Allen. Its like feeding a stranded cat. You feed it once and then you cant get rid of it. I will take care of my family. That is what I am here for.
By CM, December 9, 2010 @ 11:54 pm

If you are sitting in a community where there is ‘back up’ if things get out of control, and you have items to spare, then you may be safe in giving out food and very basic survival supplies. But, you also have to be aware that these supplies will cost you, UP FRONT. Your basic supplies list, with a serviceable knife, will likely cost $15 each. Now, if 200 families pass by your road, I am pretty sure that $3000 is money you could put to good use elesewhere.

Then, what if they a passing by when you are planting your garden, with hopes of a good harvest to support your family through the following winter? What keeps you from moving from “here is a bag of supplies” to get them 1 or 2 long days walk away from here, to, “you can stay and help tend / defend the garden” and share in the harvest? Are you such a good judge of character that you know what they are capable of helping you do? Do you know they can help defend your property?

I think the suggestion of passing your ‘kits’ to a professional charitable organization is likely to be better received. Then, directing the passerby to them is more likely to be unmet with demands for more than 1 bag / box, and relieves the potential for violence from ever hungrier masses of people.

Animals will walk miles to water they know is there. They will also walk miles to water that USED TO BE THERE. When you give out your supplies, people with remember where they got it. So, unless you are prepared to defend your supplies, night and day, for weeks on end, I would say that you should not give them cause to return to your home, again, under more desperate circumstances.

Charity? Work with churches and soup kitchens. Give them what you can truly spare, maybe a bit more – none of us may be fat at the end of 2 years of extreme times. Though, it may not come to that. On the other hand, the ‘golden horde’ will die off over a few VERY LONG weeks.

We can’t help everyone.

How would you decide?

It may be best to build a sustainable community out of your nearest neighbors. Know your resources, your capabilites, capacity, defense requirements, and lay out your ground rules well ahead of time. If you are going to plan, do it now. Don’t wait for TSHTF day to work things out. Get supplies in place. Make sure your neighbors are pepared (a tough discussion if you don’t really KNOW your neighbors). And know that, when push comes to shove, we may have to defend our own lives against those determined what little we have left. We won’t be able to do that alone.

It is all inter-related. Where do you draw the line?
By Mike P, December 10, 2010 @ 8:43 pm

Whatever causes the S to THF is not going to be solved by people only fending for themselves. The solution will come and things will work out when people learn to ban together to get through it. People with the “I’ll shoot anyone who comes near my food storage” attitude will only make the situation worse.
By Rourke, December 10, 2010 @ 9:03 pm

Mike –

I agree.

I think a lot of good points have been made by everyone. The specific situation will really determine the type of action regarding helping someone out. One act of kindness could spread to another act, and so on. Then again – as many have commented – one act of kindness may create one giant act of violence should it become known that you have supplies. Again – the specific situations may warrent differant actions.

Thanks for visiting –

Rourke
By Doug, January 2, 2011 @ 7:39 am

STUPID IS AS ….. they have the same chance as i do…..sorry about the choices they make….i don’t pay thier car insurance!!! most that dont prepare,are the same ones, as why we are here in this situation