5 Reasons To Stock Survival Boxes This Winter

5 Reasons To Stock Survival Boxes This Winter

It’s important to always be prepared. We hear this all the time, but what does being prepared actually mean? Many action items are needed to be prepared for emergencies. Having a plan, stocking up on food, supplies, and water, and knowing what to do when disaster strikes are all things you should be ready for. 

Picturing you or your family being in trouble is a scary thought. We know it can be tough to think about emergency situations, but the more you prepare, the easier it will be to handle them. In a time of crisis, focus on surviving the ordeal and making it through. Make things easier on yourself and prepare!

While you should be prepared year-round, it is especially important to stock up with survival boxes in the winter. The weather is worse (and sometimes dangerous), and it can reach freezing temperatures depending on where you live. This adds an extra element to consider when preparing for emergencies. 

If you don’t know what exactly a survival box is, basically, it’s a box that contains essential supplies that are needed for survival. They can be customized to you and your family’s specific needs. They should contain items such as food, water, supplies, and tools that will help you make it through an emergency. 

Below are 5 reasons why you should stock survival boxes this winter. Keep in mind there are plenty of other reasons, but these are the 5 main ones. 

1. It could save your life: This is the most obvious, yet most important, reason to stock survival boxes. The point of a survival box is to help you do just that: survive. In a worst-case scenario, it could be the difference between life and death. 
2. To be prepared for the worst: You hope you will never have to go through an emergency. If you do, the best way to make it through is to be prepared. This means having the right supplies, along with plenty of food and water. 
3. To save yourself time and money: Time is essential. And that could not be more true than during an emergency or disaster. The only time you might have is to figure out your next move. A survival box will cut out on time spent on finding food and supplies. During a disaster, essential items may also become more expensive. Buying things ahead of time saves you money. 
4. As part of your preparedness plan: Having an emergency preparedness plan means knowing where to go and what to do during an emergency. Knowing where your survival box is stored and what its contents are should be an important part of this plan. 
5. To prevent stress and panic: There is nothing more stressful than being in an emergency situation. So don’t make things worse by scrambling to find supplies. A survival box makes sure you have everything ready to go while preventing extra panic. 

What Should You Have In Your Survival Box?

While it’s important to have a survival box in general, it is even more important to include the right items. Think to yourself: what are the absolutely essential items you need to survive? Food and water are the most important things. But you will also need supplies and tools to help you make it through tricky situations. 

Here are some things you should consider stocking in your survival box:

• 4-Week Survival Food Kit: This kit has enough food for one person to survive for a month. It includes breakfast, lunch, and dinner. These meals will give you enough nutrients and energy to make it through each day of an emergency. The best part? The food is freeze-dried, so it will last for 25 years. 
• HaloXT Tactical Solar Flashlight: Flashlights are so important for emergencies, especially power outages and blackouts. They can help you see when your house is without power or if you are outside at night. They will also help if you need to fix your car if it breaks down in the dark. Plus, the flashlight is solar-powered, which means no batteries or electricity is needed to power it. 
• Patriot Pure Ultimate Water Filtration System: You will never have to worry about clean water again with this water filtration system. It removes 99.9% of bacteria, viruses, chemicals, and more. It doesn’t require electricity, holds 2 gallons of water, and the filter will last for 5,000 gallons of water. 
• Warm clothing: Especially in the winter, you should have extra warm layers packed in your survival box. Long johns and other types of underwear are great because they don’t take up too much space. You might also consider keeping warm blankets along with the survival box. 
• A fire-starter: Include matches or a lighter. This way, you can light candles or fires, boil water, and have a source of heat and another source of light. 
• Tool kit: Make sure you have at least a few tools, such as a knife, hammer, screwdriver, and any other handheld tools that can be used for cutting or building. 
• First-Aid Kit: This one is important. Make sure you have the necessary supplies to treat minor cuts and wounds. 

Are Food Kits The Same Thing As Survival Boxes?

No, food kits are not the same thing as survival boxes. However, a food kit can (and should) be included within your survival box. A food kit contains edible items that will help to nourish you and give you enough energy to survive. Your kit can also include purified water and supplements to make sure you do not go hungry. Below are some examples of the food kits and food items you can find at 4Patriots. 

• 72-Hour Survival Food Kit: This kit is perfect for people who are new to prepping. It is also great to keep in cottages/cabins and boats. Anywhere you visit frequently should have this on hand. It has enough food for one person to survive for three days. 
• Grab-N-Go Survival Food Kit: This kit contains 28 servings of survival food. It contains mac & cheese, broccoli, oatmeal, and white rice. It’s great on its own or as a supplement to larger food kits. It will keep you going when times get tough.   

Conclusion

There are many reasons why you should stock survival boxes, especially in the winter. The cold weather makes every emergency situation more dangerous than if it occurred in the warm weather. Suddenly, frostbite, freezing, and getting sick from the cold are risks on top of the emergency at hand.

Survival boxes should contain essential items that will help you survive for at least 72 hours, but the longer, the better. You should remember to have enough food, supplies, and water for each person in your household. 

You should have a survival box to be prepared, save time and money, prevent stress and panic, and help you survive. You should also include it in your preparedness plan. Unfortunately, disaster can strike at any moment. Give yourself peace of mind and be prepared. 

Sources:

https://www.almanac.com/content/winter-car-emergency-kit 

https://blog.gunassociation.org/winter-bug-out-bag-essentials/ 

https://smartasset.com/personal-finance/10-things-you-need-in-your-winter-survival-kit

Boy Scouts of America’s Middle Tennessee Council Thrives During Pandemic

The longtime motto of the Boy Scouts of America is “Be prepared.” We at Nashville, Tennessee-based 4Patriots couldn’t have said it any better.

That’s why we’re so happy to be associated with the Middle Tennessee Council of Boy Scouts of America.

Recently the Council held its 20^th Annual Extravaganza fundraising event. Despite the event being held virtually for the first time ever, it raised more funds (grossing over $100,000) for the organization than any previous Extravaganza.

Normally the event is a formal gala with hundreds of people in attendance and approximately 200 auction items placed around the room.

Virtual Fundraiser Exceeds Expectations

“Due to COVID-19, we realized early on that we were not going to be able to hold an in-person event,” said Zach Ross, Director of Development for the Council.

“But the online auction was fantastic. With the event being virtual, we were able to cast a wider net.

“Among the higher ticket items were a golf trip to Juno, Florida in a private plane, a one-week visit to a private house in France and a trip to Lake Tahoe.

“We also received some great preparedness items from 4Patriots that were very well received. Including a solar-powered generator, tactical flashlights, power banks, emergency weather radios, personal water filters and survival food.

“The money we raised will go a long way toward benefiting Scouts in Middle Tennessee.”

Mission and Vision Prepare Scouts

The mission of the Middle Tennessee Council of the Boy Scouts of America is to prepare young people to make ethical and moral choices over their lifetimes by instilling in them the values of the Scout Oath and Law.

The vision of the Council is to foster the character development, citizenship training and physical fitness of these young people through an emphasis on outdoor program experiences.

Together, the mission and vision help prepare them to be responsible, contributing members of society throughout their lifetime.

Variety of Programs

Scouting programs for youths ages 5-21 break down as follows:

• Cub Scouting – kindergarten through grade 5, or ages 5 to 10

• Scouts BSA – grades 6 through 12, or ages 11 to 18

• STEM Scouts – co-educational, grades 3 through 12, or ages 8 to 18

• Venturing – coeducational, ages 14 to 21

• Exploring – coeducational, ages 14 to 21

Each program uses unique and proven methods of youth development. All programs have a foundation of leadership, community service, self-reliance and a duty to God and country.

Impressive Statistics

The Middle Tennessee Council, BSA youth membership is 18,640. This represents a membership increase of 24 percent since 2015.

Scouting programs are neighborhood-centered and led by trained adult volunteer mentors. There are more than 5,000 registered volunteers.

In 2019, 359 young people earned the prestigious Eagle Scout rank, while 10,445 earned rank advancements.

Scouts and their leaders recorded 56,098 hours of service in projects at churches, schools and other local nonprofit organizations. 

Four Camping Sites

The Middle Tennessee Council utilizes four different camping sites, each of which the Council owns and operates.

They are the Parish Reservation at Rock Island, the Grimes Canoe Base on the Buffalo River, the Boxwell Scout Reservation on Old Hickory Lane and the Latimer Reservation on Cumberland Plateau.

“These sites are spread out, which helps because we serve 37 counties,” Zach said. “If units want to use a facility, they don’t have to travel far to do that.

“The Parish Reservation is for primitive camping and Boxwell is where we hold our summer camp. Latimer is more about high adventure including climbing and the Grimes Canoe Base is about canoeing.”

Need-Based Assistance Programs

Although membership fees are reasonable, sometimes they pose a challenge for lower income families. That’s where the Council’s special assistance program comes in.

In 2019, more than 2,060 youths and 168 adults received some type of assistance totaling nearly $150,000. Even more was budgeted for 2020.

“The Special Assistance program and the Scoutreach Initiative (engaging at-risk children in Scouting programs) have grown,” Zach said.

“We’re raising more money to fund these programs and growing our membership. We also receive grants from foundations that can only be used to support this initiative.”

Wanting to Leave a Legacy

Zach was born and raised in Knoxville, Tennessee. He played baseball at Milligan College in Elizabethton and earned a bachelor’s degree in political science at the University of Tennessee-Knoxville.

After working in retail as a store manager, he moved to Wyoming and spent two years as a ranch hand.

“There wasn’t a whole lot to do there, so I started a co-ed softball league and some Little League baseball and softball teams,” Zach said. “I saw what it did for the kids, so when I returned to Tennessee I wanted to do something with a purpose that would leave a legacy.”

He was hired by the Boy Scouts of America in early 2014, starting as a district executive and working in fundraising, as well as membership and volunteer recruitment.

Zach has now been in Scouting for almost seven years with three different Councils. With the Middle Tennessee Council, he oversees fund development and marketing.

Battling COVID-19 Challenges

As with nearly every organization, the pandemic presented challenges Zach and others had to work around in 2020.

“Summer camp was cancelled in its traditional sense, but we did Merit Badge Days in one day at Boxwell, instead of a week-long camping experience,” Zach said.

“We took all of the kids’ temperatures when they arrived and kept them in clusters of 20 or fewer.

“Whichever merit badge a kid was trying to earn, they stayed in that area and we brought lunch to them. We did the same thing for the fall and winter camps.

‘Hope Is on the Horizon’

“Normally, day camp involves arts, crafts, and outdoor activities including shooting BB guns and archery,” he continued. “But this year we did ‘Day Camp at Your Doorstep,’ collecting materials and shipping them to Scouts’ homes.

“We also had social distance courts of honors and earning merit badges through online video conferencing.

“The older kids are pretty acclimated with Zoom so they planned some of their own activities. It was a little more challenging with the Cub Scout level, especially getting them to stay in front of a camera for a while. But Scouting is adaptable.

“2020 was the 100^th anniversary of the Middle Tennessee Council and we had to postpone several special events for that.

“But hope is on the horizon. 2021 will be the 100^th anniversary of the Boxwell Reservation, so our plan is to celebrate both the anniversaries.”  

One thing is for certain. Young people who go through the Scouting program will be better prepared for whatever life throws at them.

Cade’s 2021 Self-Reliance Resolutions

I hope it’s not too late to share this…

But did you happen to see this inspiring video from former Navy SEAL, Cade Courtley?

As we go into a new year, we cannot control what is thrown our way like pandemics, natural disasters or any other emergency, but we can control how prepared we are.

We need to shift to a tactical mindset, because a strong mind is one of the greatest tools we can have. It’s time to step up your survival game!

Begin building your survival blueprint to be a survivor, not a statistic.

Learn more about your preparedness options, right here.

Emergency Preparedness Checklist: Ultimate Preppers’ Guide