Most of the time, prepper resources within your community won't be advertised as such. Community prepper resources refer to classes, events, lectures or places where you can acquire equipment, knowledge, skills or supplies. These resources may vary depending on where you live, along with other factors.
Grocery stores are a popular prepper resource. However, you can also buy food and other supplies for your stockpile at farmer’s markets, especially if you need fresh, organic produce for food preservation.
Food and supplies
Auctions
Some auctions in urban areas offer food supplies such as boxes of cereals, canned foods, fresh produce or even livestock.
After gardeners and local farmers have harvested their crops, they may join local auctions to sell their harvest. Take note of local auctions and mark your calendars if you want to purchase in bulk at an affordable price. (Related: Prepping 101: Three important lessons for beginners.)
Bulk food stores
Your community may have bulk food stores that give customers deals on supplies like grains, instant milk, pasta, potatoes, spices, and dry mixes (e.g. gelatins, puddings and soups).
Look for bulk stores that also sell products for non-electric living with items that you can use.
Farms
Rural communities may have farms and orchards where you can buy fresh produce before they even hit store shelves.
Used merchandise
Prepping doesn't always come cheap. If you want to save on preps, you can acquire used goods at garage or yard sales.
Garage and yard sales
Sifting through items at garage and yard sales may be worth your time. These sales may offer hidden treasures like:
- Camping gear
- Camp stoves
- Canvas and tarps
- Clothes (e.g. camouflage clothing)
- Electronics
- Fishing equipment
- Flashlights
- Ham or FRS radios
- Hand-operated American-made tools and kitchen appliances
- Sporting goods
- Tents and stakes
Prepping skills
You can learn different skills by taking free or paid classes and courses in the following locations:
Arboreta
Check if an arboretum in your area offers gardening classes or other skills you can apply in survival situations.
Clubs
The clubs in your community may not have members are preppers, but you can join them without announcing that you're one. This makes it easier to avoid judgment from people who don't understand the prepping lifestyle.
Consider joining archery, gardening or gun clubs to meet people who at least understand your passion for hobbies that will prove useful when SHTF.
Community fairs and festivals
Fairs and festivals can also offer learning opportunities or products or services only available in your area, such as:
- Community organizations who want to discuss their group, which may include 4H clubs, beekeeper groups, Boy or Girl Scout groups or quilting guilds.
- Different agricultural breeds and breeders who can teach you about their trade.
- Vendors selling tractors and other agricultural equipment and supplies.
Community parks
Community parks may offer educational programs on topics such as beekeeping, cross-country skiing, snowshoeing and wilderness survival.
Libraries
Libraries offer more than reference books, which are also useful for preppers. Modern libraries may also offer other services like digital book rentals or classes on prepping skills, such as sewing.
Local historical societies
Local historical societies may offer lectures on how you can survive in a post-TEOTWAWKI world. If you attend these lectures, you can learn how to use a water wheel or how to manually process grains using a millstone.
State parks
State parks can offer free or paid courses on outdoor skills like animal signs/tracking and cast iron cooking.
Explore your community for prepper resources and learn new skills or find gear and supplies before SHTF.
Sources include:
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