It’s no longer surprising to hear about people who keep their pantries well-stocked in case of unforeseen events like disasters and even pandemics.

Sometimes dubbed as ‘doomsday preppers’, this group used to be seen as paranoid by the rest of the population. However, current conditions prove that their practices do have merits as certain resources become harder to come by amidst the coronavirus crisis.

And as it turns out billionaire Bill Gates and his wife Melinda are sort of preppers themselves.

A Full Basement

The couple reportedly live in a Washington mansion dubbed as Xanadu 2.0

During a recent interview with BBC Radio, Melinda shared how she and the Microsoft co-founder have been storing food in their basement for years now.

The 55-year-old philanthropist revealed that the two of them had a conversation about what they should do when a disaster strikes. They pondered questions like where they might go as a family and where to get clean water.

In the end, the couple decided to practice some precautions and started to keep food in their basement when things do go south. Given the current state of things, the decision proved to be a wise one for the family of five.

Acknowledging Privilege

The couple has long been active in various charitable causes

While she talked about the merits of being prepared, Melinda also acknowledged that she and her family are in a much more privileged position when it comes to dealing with the coronavirus pandemic.

She even revealed how her family says grace at night as they are very thankful for their luck having the ability to put food on the table while many others can’t.

The couple didn’t stop at just being aware of their status though, they’re also using it to help those who are not as lucky as them. The Gateses have pledged to give away a whopping $150 million to fund efforts to find a vaccine for COVID-19 and supply medical materials for healthcare frontliners.

In total, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation has donated $250 million just for the fight against the coronavirus.

Years-Long Anticipation

The billionaire has been recently vocal about his suggestions on the containment of the virus

It’s also worth noting that Bill has expressed his concerns about an impending pandemic years before the coronavirus broke out. One instance he did so was during a 2015 TED Talk where he talked about how the world is unprepared to handle ’the next epidemic’.

Two years later, he wrote an op-ed warning that a deadly and contagious strain of the flu might be the next outbreak the world will get to see.