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Food is not really a critical issue as long as we’re talking about a short term/localzed disruption. Most American adults have plenty of stored fat and can live for three to four weeks without consuming any food whatsoever. Available food should be allocated to children, the elderly, and the sick first; then, to adults who are doing hard physical labor; then to other adults. The canned goods in your pantry right now are likely enough to feed your kids for a month or more. It’s important to make sure your kids get a complete protein in every meal (meat, tofu, cheese, or a mixture of beans AND corn) plus the necessary vitamins.

For stockpiling, a couple of Sterilte tubs full of dried beef, dried milk, rice, and canned vegetables will suffice. Beef Jerky + canned veg + dried milk + rice will sustain life for a long time. You should also lay in some multivitamins to compensante for the unbalanced diet you may have to eat.

Water is the critical need. Don’t stockpile water itself until the crisis actually comes; it’s too heavy and hard to store. Instead, make sure you have plenty of plain, unscented bleach on hand, along with a water filter of some sort.Also, it’s aa good idea to keep on hand at all times a selection of CLEAR (transparent) plastic soda bottles (two liter capacity each). Clean these with bleach and water, then cap and store them empty. These bottles can be filled with FILTERED water and capped; when left in direct sunlight for an hour or two, the water in the bottles will be sterilized by solar UV rays, becoming suitable for drinking or cooking.

And you can never have enough can openers, toliet paper, matches, candles, and firewood.

As for firearms — I keep on hand a .22 Short squirrel rifle for small game and a 12-ga shotgun for self-defense. You’re the best judge of your own needs.