Preparing for emergencies can be expensive. When it comes to building an emergency food supply, the high cost is exacerbated by the fact that food expires more quickly than other resources. Add to that the rising cost of food in 2025 and 2026, and you might be tempted to ignore the issue altogether.

Last year was a big one for Bainbridge Prepares as the organization moved into its 15th year of operation, struggled through some growing pains, and achieved some crucial organizational milestones. We reached out to Bainbridge Prepares Teams to get their recaps of last year’s accomplishments. This is what the teams shared.

The second most-important supply, after water, is food.

In a disaster, grocery stores will likely be closed for a while. But even if they are able to open, their supply will be cleared out quickly, and the disaster may make it impossible for stores to restock their shelves right away.

The Bainbridge Prepares’ Food Resilience Team Veg Club, as always, is itching to get started on another season of abundant growth.

The partnership between Bainbridge Island Fruit Club and the BP Food Resilience Team, an initiative called Grow for Helpline, generated more than 3,000 pounds of food for Helpline House in 2025. Helpline House, the local food pantry, is experiencing a new level of stress generated by federal cuts to food aid and increased usage of its services.

Your food questions will be answered by the Bainbridge Prepares Food Resilience Team at an October 21st presentation at the library. The Food Resilience Team will share information about flexible food options and a simple way to estimate how many days worth of food you have. 

Heide Madden started the Farmers’ and Gardeners’ Guild growing space on Bainbridge Island. Join a field trip on August 23 from 10 to 11 a.m. to see their chickens, high-tunnel, and unusual varieties of vegetables and projects.

Darren Murphy, the president of Bainbridge Island Fruit Club, is hosting a tour of his property to show people how to grow fruits and vegetables in limited space.

Our local food banks are more stressed than ever and anticipate even greater need in the coming months. You can make a difference at Peaceful Morning Farm, where an all-volunteer staff grows food exclusively for local food banks.

Veg Club in May will show you how to get weeks’ more food from your garden with three succession planting strategies.

Our food banks face a perfect storm in which loss of individual food assistance programs will drive more people to food banks, while cuts to federal inputs will drastically lower the banks’ ability to feed people. But there is something you can do to help.

The dynamic duo of Carol Appenzeller and John Fossett get energized by food—not necessarily in the eating of it, although that’s probably true as well. But they get energized by thinking about, talking about, and teaching how to make it grow.

The task for February is similar to that of January. Store enough food for all people in your household (including pets) for four weeks or more.

The super-popular Veg Club is now part of Bainbridge Prepares, managed by the Food Resilience Team. The first session of 2025 happens Tuesday, February 4.