I don’t think you need to trust people to make progress on building community.
Share vegetables from your garden, always wave and smile (you’ll be surprised how easily you can train even the biggest grump to smile at you), just keep acting friendly.
And consider asking for help with something small. People like helping others and will be more likely to ask you for help if they need it. They will also be more likely to help you again if they are in the habit (I stole that idea from Benjamin Franklin).
Don’t broach preparedness as a topic. Just keep being friendly and nine times out of ten folks will come around. Hang in there!