Illinois Newbie!

I am in the Geneva/St. Charles area in Illinois. I am a total newbie to prepping. I feel like I have a decent background that gives me some practical base knowledge as I grew up backpacking in the Sierras, I was in the Military in the Northwest for 8 years and have gone through some basic survival and combat training (not actual combat because when I was in there were no conflicts, just don’t want to be one of those guys trying to act like they’re something they’re not. Guys like that are reprehensible to me).

So I have a basic understanding of freeze dried food, MRE’s, and other storable food, chemical warfare training, being able to live off the land, etc. HOWEVER! Man there is a lot out there to choose from when supplying up. I’m sure most of it is good stuff but I just don’t want to stockpile something that looked good online but in reality isn’t worth the money. I also have limited knowledge of shelf life, quantities, and types of food to store.

I also think it would be fun to just meet some folks near me and make some like minded connections. I’m a big proponent of not reinventing the wheel, I’d love to find a mentor or mentors near me to connect and compare notes.

So is there a group in or near the area I mentioned that meets?

Thanks for reading!