Five-minute pantry check
Power’s out.
What’s for dinner?
Leave the fridge closed. Pick one meal your household could make tonight with what’s already on the shelf.
Try it in your kitchen
You can leave the packages sealed for this practice.
Choose one meal.
Pick ready-to-eat food your household can eat safely. Try bread with a spread, or crackers with a can of ready-to-eat beans. Check the label and choose portions your household can finish.
Put the tools beside the food.
Find the manual opener if the can needs one. Set out a spoon or knife, a plate, and any drinking water you’ll need. Could you open and serve everything with the power off?
Write down one change.
Maybe the opener belongs in the pantry, or a pull-tab can would work better for someone in your household. Write your meal and one change on your worksheet or a scrap of paper.
Keep it for the next outage
Save the one-page worksheet to Files or Downloads while you have internet. Open the saved copy once in airplane mode so you know where to find it.
Save the pantry worksheet (PDF)Compare notes with neighbors
Which meal worked? What did you change after trying it? A meal idea or a substitution is enough to share.
Join the pantry discussion on FacebookAsk about local supplies
Where will your county announce food and ice distribution if the power stays out? Ask emergency management where to get updates. For gaps in the plan or budget, take an editable request to the elected body responsible.
Find the office and edit a request