PROVIDENT LIVING PLANS
FOR FAMILY ORGANIZATIONS

Primary group members: extended family members living in close proximity
Secondary group members: all other family members

Purposes:
    To care for and help each other
    To share equipment
    To share skills
    To teach each other provident living skills
    To provide opportunities for group orders
    To provide opportunities for co-op gardening
    To provide opportunities for co-op canning

1. Divide the family members into manageable groups and assign each group a captain or leader.
2. Determine frequency of family meetings and group leader meetings.
3. Consider the most likely emergencies and provident living needs to affect your family.
4. Decide what information should be gathered by each group leader about his group members before and during an emergency situation.
5. Compile a resource list of:
    1) equipment that can be used in an emergency and for provident living;
    2) provident living skills in the family that can be used and shared with each other;
    3) living storage at each home; and
    4) home storage at each home.
6. Determine which homes are most likely to be affected by natural disasters.
7. Determine which homes are most likely to be needed for housing during flooding, pandemic or extended illness, and/or during other natural disasters.
8. Determine a central gathering point in case of evacuation.
9. Determine a common out of state contact.
10. Develop a communications plan and chain of command with alternate plans, if telephones are not working, whereby each group leader is assigned someone to report to.
11. Assign one person to receive all reports and communicate needs back to family group leaders.
12. Consider the skills family members should know. Make plans to teach them.
13. Discuss the necessity for an account to finance group purchases or rental of equipment and purchase of seeds and other supplies. Discuss how contributions should be made.
14. Review all plans with all family members BEFORE finalizing the plan. Family members may have valuable suggestions and bring attention to items that may have been overlooked.
15. Review the plan with family members each year making revisions where needed.