Just like many other preppers I know, I have friends and family that have absolutely NOTHING set aside for that proverbial 'rainy day', or rainy decade, we are all sure is on the horizon. I have tried cajoling and even offering to go with them and assist them if/when they ever want to set aside some supplies, but all to no avail. This is what led me to pondering the possibility of simply setting aside a bare-bones stockpile specifically for them. I tried to come up with all the pro's and con's, the cheapest cost for the largest gain (because like so many others, I am broke and money is largely unavailable.) and the best way to employ the preps.
Ill go through my thought process:
1) Give a man a fish and he'll eat for a day...
If I get them a couple 20lb bags of red beans and rice; they wont realize the value and may simply throw the container away if it gets in the way, use it for non-emergency food and let it spoil, give it away, or (if SHTF) trade it for a couple steaks and some beer.
2) A fool and their Preps
They may offer to feed everyone and their brother and run themselves out of supplies in a quarter of the time. This one actually scares me the most because they may decide to come back to me thinking I owed it to them because they are family and they know I have provisions... and they might tell everyone else the same story and they would ALL come for free refills.
3) A preppers home is their castle
If I allow them to simply join me and my family, in spite of their total lack of training or comprehension of the gravity of the matter, it could lead to an even MORE uncomfortable and dangerous problem when they turn out to be intolerable pigs and belligerent sheep-people that rebel and risk your Op-Sec.
4) The rats in the Pantry
History has shown us that the government will simply seize the assets of groups and individuals when they want them. It happened to the Liberty Dollar people, and if SHTF it would happen to anyone that had supplies the govt wanted. Commonly, the authorities will offer bribes and rewards to people for turning in neighbors for "HOARDING" food or supplies. When a person is hungry, and you are not giving them free unlimited handouts, they will gladly take the govt's offer of a free bag of canned food for information leading to a successful raid of one of those horrible 'preppers' that hog so much food.
I came to the conclusion that, instead of just prepping for someone that wont prep for themselves, you are safer to simply keep your own supplies quiet and try like hell to get them interested in being the ant instead of the grasshopper.
I'd like to hear the input of other people too.
