<body><div><img src="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?type=thumbnail_580x000&amp;url=2zTyAx_0vj7pg1u00" alt="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?url=2zTyAx_0vj7pg1u00" width="640" height="480" >Asheville – Buncombe County is officially celebrating Preparedness Month this September with helpful hints posted frequently to its news page. Jan and Bill Sterrett, founders and owners of Carolina Readiness Supply, realize that everything starts somewhere, but they say preparedness is a way of life.Their store is located in Waynesville, but it remains Western North Carolina’s go-to place for “prepper” supplies. The husband-and-wife team opened the business in 2010. They knew enough about history and economics to predict that, as the protections the US Constitution afforded against getting too much power in the wrong hands were being eroded, economic instability would likely ensue.When Jan and her husband opened the store, she recalls, “Lots of people didn’t understand. They thought we were crazy.” Preppers are often viewed as cultists stockpiling weapons in compounds, but COVID did a lot to change that. Businesses shut down, people were afraid to go shopping, and ships got grounded on the other side of the Pacific. Toiletpaperless masses wondered almost in unison what else would be in short supply. The shock emptied grocery stores as well as the warehouses of large prepping companies, like My Patriot Supply, where backorders ran into months.How many people in South Asheville wished they would have had backup water and a purifier when Asheville’s water system broke last Christmas week? Young couples in their 20s, who keep a few months’ supply of cash and food on-hand, have surfed through layoffs, fires, and unforeseen medical crises. Jan told the story of one customer who lost her husband and her job within two months and lived off her food supply until she found another job.Prepping in quiet times is common sense. A lot of people prefer providing for themselves and their families, and maybe even their neighbors, to begging money from loved ones or signing up and waiting for government services. Jan liked Benjamin Franklin’s quote, “By failing to prepare, you are preparing to fail.” She asked, “What will be your crisis: death of a spouse? cancer diagnosis? job loss?”Jan realizes that prepping can sound daunting to people when they’re treading water economically. They don’t know where to start. So, she helps new customers that come into the store by handing them a list that includes “the Mormon food guide.” She also gives them a “wheel up,” which helps organize their preparation one pie slice at a time. “People need food, water, hygiene, and sanitation,” she said. She gets customers thinking about questions like, “What are you going to do when you can’t flush the toilet?” and, “Do you have a year’s supply of medicine?”Jan said, “Our biggest seller is the food.” They offer freeze-dried and dehydrated products that can last up to 30 years. Offerings range from military surplus MRE (meals ready to eat) to tasty delights from Mountain House and Augason Farms, like whole raspberries or chicken fettucine Alfredo. They stock bulk items along with food-grade buckets, mylar bags, oxygen absorbers, and desiccants for DIY packaging. They also sell a variety of seeds and canning supplies for people who want to be even more self-sufficient.Then there’s the question of how to prepare all this stuff without any power. There’s nothing like breaking into your food storage and finding you don’t have a manual can opener. The Sterretts are equipped to outfit customers for campstyle cooking with supplies like Lodge cast iron Dutch ovens and skillets, canteens, cutlery, and fire starters.In addition to food, they carry products for personal hygiene and a variety of first-aid kits. They sell camping gear like flashlights and lanterns, ponchos, and compasses, but they don’t sell large items like tents and sleeping gear. They also offer a few small, solar-powered items, like solar-heated camp showers and the inflatable, solar-powered Luci lights. They also carry a limited amount of tactical gear like holsters and knives.An important part of the business is education. They carry a large selection of books covering topics like gardening, foraging, food preservation – and post-apocalyptic fiction. They also host Heritage Life Skills courses that consist of three days of hands-on classes. Jan recalled, “One speaker one time snapped his fingers and said, ‘OK. The grid just went down. How are you going to get home from here? What’s your plan? Do you have walking shoes in the car? Enough food and water to get home? Nails and screws, glue to fix things that might fall apart?’”</div></body>

Mountain View, CA

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Prepping Always in Style at Carolina Readiness Supply

Asheville – Buncombe County is officially celebrating Preparedness Month this September with helpful hints posted frequently to its news page. Jan and Bill Sterrett, founders and owners of Carolina Readiness Supply, realize that everything starts somewhere, but they say preparedness is a way of life. Their store is located...