We have a pantry, a refrigerator in the kitchen and a refrigerator in the garage.

In normal times, we buy stuff on sale in bulk and use it as we need it. It saves us money.

When Tulsa had an ice storm a few years ago, we had about 24 hours’ notice to stock up before we were trapped inside our house with three small kids for a week. We had plenty of canned food and boxes of cereal and we didn’t go hungry.

It was the same situation during a huge snow storm about 10 years ago. No problem. We keep plenty of flashlights, batteries and candles.

We have a fireplace (which uses natural gas) that we have fired up during winter power outages. We also have a stack of firewood in the back yard in case it’s cold and the electricity and gas service it out.

When we first got wind of the coronavirus problem, we decided to stock up on supplies. Our main concern was that me might be quarantined and unable to get to the store to buy things we normally needed.

We went to Sam’s Wholesale Club and bought some toilet paper and paper towels. I wanted to pick up some green beans but they were sold out. We bought a big bag of rice because it was cheap, it doesn’t spoil and we like rice. We got some pasta, some canned fruit, some canned vegetables, fruit juice, sugar and some toothpaste.

Then we went to Wal-Mart to stock up on a few things. We made sure we had hand soap, hand sanitizer, shampoo, laundry soap and other cleaning supplies. We also bought some over-the-counter medicine, including Tylenol, aspirin, cough medicine, etc.

No one in our house takes prescription medicine so that wasn’t a concern.

I stopped at Reasors and bought some fresh produce and a few more canned food items. I added some corn chips, cheese and sour cream. Then I went to Braums and got a gallon of milk.

Our strategy was to only buy things that we normally use and mostly things that have a long shelf life.

We didn’t hoard. I had several chances to buy big bundles of toilet paper but there was no point. We had plenty and I didn’t want to take away from anyone in need. In fact, I was prepared to offer some toilet paper to family members and friends if they were caught short.

Fortunately, they were all stocked.

Even though this has been a period of “panic buying,” people were cordial and helpful. Later in the month when I was a Wal-Mart, a clerk brought out several packages of toilet paper. An older lady came up to me and asked me if I needed some, because it was going fast. The lines were long at Reasors but no one was irate or cranky.

With the local restaurants closed (except for takeout), we have enough food, medicine and cleaning supplies to weather this latest storm.

Here’s the thing. America has enough food. That hasn’t changed. It make take awhile to get certain items but it is just an inconvenience.

With schools closed, it’s a good idea for officials to have a “grab-and-go” program for poor kids.

I am concerned for Tulsa’s homeless because of a lack of food or funding for places like John 3:16 Mission. Giving is always low this time of year and those charities are very busy. And if the virus ever spread to that homeless population, it would do a lot of damage.

Mend Pregnancy Resource Center is closed but they are offering counseling over the phone. They also could use cash donations because they set up a corporate account at Wal-Mart to help their clients buy formula, diapers, etc.

Text Mend at 539-777-1426 or call at 918-745-6000.

Our business has suffered because the Tulsa County Courthouse is essentially closed. With the judges at home, most lawyers are delaying filing cases. We publish legal notices and that is an important income source for our newspaper. The good news is that all those cases will probably be filed once the courthouse is fully functional again.

The Tulsa Beacon is a legal newspaper. To maintain our legal status, we have to publish every week. There is a state law that allows us to skip a week in the event of the declaration of a national disaster (which happened). But we are determined to keep publishing, especially since many of our readers are stuck at home in self-quarantine.

Fortunately, our printer, the Muskogee Phoenix, is working and the U.S. Postal Service continues to deliver mail.

And I continue to tape my radio program, Tulsa Beacon Weekend, which airs at noon on Saturdays at KCFO AM970. Stephens Media, which owns KCFO, has a rule that there not be more than three people in a studio during the crisis but that hasn’t been a problem.

I hope one of the lessons of the coronavirus is that people will plan for the worst and hope for the best.