Help for the holidays

When you think of Thanksgiving dinner, you can almost smell the aroma of turkey, stuffing and cranberry sauce. If you are lucky.

For many, though, Thanksgiving dinner is just like dinner on any other day of the year -- a meal filled with little food, and one in which hunger is served for dessert.

Putting food on the table is something that is often taken for granted by those who can do it. But for a large segment of the population, feeding their families is a daily concern, regardless if it is Thanksgiving, Christmas or just an average Tuesday night.

Because of that, many community organizations in the Valley are trying to help out this holiday season by putting food on the table for people.

Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts and many other youth organizations are going door to door collecting foods. Annually, churches around the Valley put together holiday food baskets and are distributing them to people in need.

Larger organizations such as the Knik Tribal Council and the local food banks need donations to make sure everyone enjoys a nice holiday meal.

The organizations are run by volunteers who collect the food, put together the baskets and distribute them. Without the aid of these volunteers, many would go hungry during the holidays.

The giving doesn't end when Thanksgiving is over, either. The Salvation Army's motto is "Need knows no season," and during the holidays, that sometimes gets forgotten.

Many of the local organizations "reload" their food supply and have Christmas baskets ready for families by the middle of December. Some also put together toy drives to help with the Christmas season.

In addition to the smaller organizations such as individual Boy Scout and Girl Scout troops, several larger organizations are hosting food drives.

The Knik Tribal Council is looking for food donations for their holiday basket program. The phone number for Knik Tribal Council is 373-7991 or 373-7993. People who need a meal can also call those numbers to get their names on the list.

"Right now, we really need turkeys," said Chris Flowers of the Knik Tribal Council. "This year, we are hearing about more and more people who need a meal, and we are trying to help."

This is the fourth year the Knik Tribal Council has offered holiday baskets to people in need.

If the organization has enough food to last through Thanksgiving, it will continue through to Christmas. Otherwise, the organization offers Thanksgiving meals and then do a toy drive for Christmas.

"That way the kids get something too," Flowers said. "But if we have enough food to get through, sure, we'll be giving away Christmas baskets too. Normally, though, we see all of our food used in the Thanksgiving baskets.

More so than in recent years, the economy is a big concern, and Flowers said her organization has seen the impact.

"I think people are feeling it [the economy] this year. We've already had phone calls asking if we are going to offer baskets again this year," Flower said. "We figure we'll serve about 300 people this year."

Crusaders of Christ Circle of Light Mission is also gearing up for its annual Thanksgiving event.

Organizers said that the program helps financially distressed families enjoy Thanksgiving by giving them a meal to prepare for their families.

"It's a good program that helps a lot of people enjoy the season," Alan Branson said.

Anybody who needs assistance and lives within the Mat-Su Valley are eligible for the program, and Branson, one of the event organizers, said people should not hesitate to give him a call and ask for help.

Interested people should contact Branson or Reina Matson at 357-6538 for more information.

Crusaders of Christ can also prepare turkey and trimmings for people who don't have access to cooking facilities.

People need to act soon, because demand is high and resources are limited.

Crusaders of Christ is also looking for volunteers to help assist in the preparation and delivery of meals.

Volunteers will help in all phases of the Thanksgiving feast, from gathering the food to delivering it.

The Salvation Army operates a food bank during the entire year, not just at the holidays.

The phone number there is 745-7079.

Another organization that is always looking for extra food is the Food Pantry of Wasilla. Their phone number is 357-3769.

Many schools do can drives during the holiday season as well.

People can check with their local schools to see when cans and other foods will be accepted, and which charities will benefit.