“I want to do more” Alaska Turkey Drop planning Christmas ham drop to remote communities

Growing up in Skwentna, Esther (Keim) Sanderlin knows firsthand how difficult it can be to get out to get a turkey for the holidays. It’s not as easy as getting into a car and running down to the local market.

“You have to use a plane, a snow machine, or a boat to reach some of these communities,” Sanderlin said, “and sometimes sharing a squirrel between 3 people is just not ideal.”

Sanderlin remembers as a child that a generous family friend would drop turkeys for Thanksgiving from his personal airplane every year.

“It’s really hard to get around the rivers and lakes this time of year and I just remember thinking that was really cool growing up.”

That man was Kenny Hughes, sometimes referred to as the “flying missionary,” but mostly known as the “Turkey Bomber” for his years of dropping Thanksgiving turkeys from his airplane. He passed away in 2016.

“People still remember Kenny, and to me, he was the coolest guy ever,” Sanderlin says.

Now, she is bringing back the tradition of dropping turkeys from her own airplane to people out in Skwentna, Yentna, and other remote communities along the lower Susitna drainage area.

Sanderlin grew up flying as a kid, eventually taking lessons when she was 16 and 17, using a benefit from homeschooling to offset the costs. She earned her license in her early 20s, and just finished rebuilding her first airplane with her father.

The all-black Stinson aircraft is appropriately called “Stealth.”

During the Thanksgiving holiday, Sanderlin and a crew of volunteers dropped 32 turkeys as they flew 30 miles along the Yentna River and Skwentna if people could get there. The effort requires planning, communication, and a little finesse.

“I fly, my boyfriend ‘bombs’ the turkeys, and when we see the families in their yards, we drop the turkeys.” While it sounds simple, Sanderlin says that a few were ripped out of the bags they were wrapped in and maybe 1 or 2 missed their mark. But for Sanderlin, it is all worth it.

“People are so thankful for the donations.”

Now, she is gearing up for a Christmas delivery, if Mother Nature cooperates.

“We have 30 hams and chocolate turtles ready to go, but the weather has been extremely cold, making it hard to know when for sure we will make our drop.” She says the weather forecast calls for high winds, which may also delay the drop.

“I really want to get these out before Christmas, but we may have to wait until after, depending on how the weather looks.”

Once the Christmas ham deliveries are made, Sanderlin is eyeing a possible Easter bomb.

“I might do one in the spring because people get stuck. The ground is thawing and the mud can really stop people up,” she says.

She is also hoping to expand the drop, wanting to get more turkeys and hams out to more people, and she wants to reach out further than Skwentna and Yentna.

“I want to do more. I know there are more people off-grid and out in the bush. I just need more names, more contacts of people in the villages,” Sanderlin says.

She is trying to set up a non-profit and an official web page, but in the meantime, she doesn’t turn anyone away wanting to donate or help make her operation bigger.

For more information about Alaska Turkey Bomb, visit their Facebook page. If interested in making a donation, make sure to message from there.