Welcome to the 2025 7 Day Challenge. For 7 days, we are testing our Emergency Preparedness and Food Storage Plans. Each day will bring a NEW mock emergency or situation that will test at least one of the reasons “WHY” we strive to be prepared!
In order to receive each day’s emergency scenario in your email please sign up for the 7 Day Challenge email list or subscribe via text by texting 7daychallenge to 717-788-3663.
REMEMBER: To get the most out of the challenge, don’t be too literal about the scenarios. Modify them to fit YOUR family’s situation. Also, try to actually DO each day’s tasks. Don’t try to justify why you wouldn’t “need” to. The point is to PRACTICE our skills!
DAY 1: EARTHQUAAAKE ♒︎
An earthquake has struck, causing widespread damage and power outages across your community. Communication is down, homes are shaken, and everyone is on edge as aftershocks continue to rattle the area. With the power grid offline, you’ll need to rely on your emergency skills to keep your family safe, fed, and comfortable until services are restored. For today’s challenge, you’ll practice cooking dinner without electricity and spending the evening without lights or devices — a real test of both your preparations and your creativity!
TODAY’S CHALLENGES:
👉 Cook dinner without electricity.
👉 Spend the evening without lights, TV, or any electronic devices.
👉 Review earthquake protocols like “Drop, Cover, and Hold On” and practice them with little ones.
For this scenario you can choose to start in the morning and live a complete powerless day, however for those who work and/or have kids in school feel free to just do the tasks this evening.
HELPFUL HINTS:
Cooking Options: Try a camp stove, grill, Dutch oven, solar oven, or even a DIY rocket stove. Don’t forget to have fuel stored (propane, butane, charcoal, or wood).
Light Sources: Gather flashlights, lanterns, and candles. Keep extras in multiple rooms so you’re not fumbling in the dark.
Entertainment: Board games, card games, puzzles, or even telling stories by lantern light can keep spirits up.
Practice Makes Perfect: This is a great time to teach kids how to safely light a lantern, or try out a new tool you’ve never used before.
Learn More: I did a full Powerless Cooking Class here with demos of different stoves, fuels, and cooking methods — check it out for more inspiration and links to some of my favorites.
REFLECTION:
Take a few minutes after your powerless evening to think through what worked and what didn’t. Here are some questions to ask yourself:
- Did everyone have enough to eat? Did the kids like the food options you provided?
- Were your cooking tools easy to use, or frustrating? Did you have enough fuel?
- How did your kids (or spouse 😉) handle being without devices?
- Did you have enough light sources? Were they in convenient places?
- If the outage continued for 2–3 days, what would quickly become a problem?
Print out the worksheets below and add items you need to do, to learn, and to buy as you find holes in your preparedness plans today. Print multiple sheets as needed.
SHARING TIME:
One of the best parts of the challenge each year is seeing how everyone else survived the day. You’ll get new ideas and encouragement just by reading the stories! Here’s how to join in the conversation:
- Post in the Facebook Group thread for Day 1: Tell us what you cooked and how your family passed the evening. Don’t be shy … even a one sentence “we ate PB&J” will count!
- Photos welcome but not required — you can just describe your experience if you’d rather not show your supplies.
- Bonus idea: Ask your kids what they thought of an unplugged night and share their funniest or most honest answer with us.
⚠️ Don’t skip this part — even if you didn’t “ace” the challenge. Sharing the struggles is just as valuable as sharing the wins, and it helps everyone learn together.
-Jodi Weiss Schroeder
http://foodstoragemadeeasy.net
