A Little Free Advice

Like each generation who has faced an unfathomable foe, COVID-19 will leave a scar on our memories. I remember my grandmother’s pantry was always overstocked with food, much of it being outdated dry goods. Us grandkids would always joke about the expiration dates that had lapsed in Grandma’s pantry. One day, we tried to joke with her about the amount of expired food in her home and told her she should probably get rid of it. But, the joking quickly stopped when she looked at us square in the eyes and said, “You’ve never been hungry.” We realized that growing up in the Great Depression had left a deep scar on her memory that was still sensitive. She had spent the rest of her life preparing her pantry to combat hunger from striking her home again. It taught me something about preparedness and gratitude.

Fast forward to today, what have I learned about preparedness in 2020? Always keep a spare bottle of hand sanitizer under the sink and an extra pack of toilet paper in the closet. I will always keep a box of masks somewhere in the house and, like Grandma, I will do my best to prepare and insulate my family from a future outbreak based on the lessons I have learned during this pandemic. However, I am not alone in my efforts as I have past generations to learn from.

I recently came across some free advice from 1919. The advice may have surpassed its expiration date, but the spirit of it is entirely relatable. My great-grandmother was a newlywed living in the Franklin-Carroll school district in California during the 1918-1919 flu pandemic.

In response to the devastating outbreak, the school district secretaries typed and disbursed cards listing emergency supplies that were recommended for every homemaker to keep on-hand in case the world shut down again. Learning from her own scars, my great-grandmother tucked this card away for safe-keeping. She could never have foreseen that her great-granddaughter would be studying it for her own family more than 100 years later.

I was so intrigued by this century-old free advice that I thought I would pass it on to you, the reader, so you can stock up your own pantries in true late Victorian style:

“It is important that the homemaker keep a reserve of foods that provide a balanced diet to meet the emergency. A suggested supply for 3-days for a family of 4 might include 6 cans meat (corned beef, tongue, ham, etc.), 3 cans green vegetables (asparagus, string beans, peas, etc.) 3 large cans baked beans, 6 No. 2 cans vegetable salad, 2 small cans chocolate syrup, 3 4-oz. jars of processed American cheese, 1 lb. tin of cookies, 2 1-lb. cans powdered milk, 2 small cans of evaporated milk, 1 can powdered lemon juice or canned lemon juice, 5 10-oz. packages of shredded whole wheat wafers, 2 packages whole wheat flakes, 4 1-lb. packages dried fruit (apricots, peaches, prunes, raisins, figs, etc.), 1 jar French dressing, 1 1-lb. can of coffee.”

And there you have it, advice from the scars of a previous generation to help us ease the pain we feel in our own. Now, if you will excuse me, there is a tin of cookies and a pound of coffee calling my name from the pantry.

As you experience history, remember to enjoy the journey and reach out to me through my website if you have any questions or stories of your own to share: www.sarajaneruggles.com.