Local residents gather goods to send to Western Alaska villages impacted by brutal storms

The Palmer Train Depot parking lot is always the staging point for many local efforts. In addition to being a public parking lot, it is a drop off point, welcome station, connection point, circus platform, sidewalk art, warm up tent, parade stand, cookie booth, musical stage or busking spot, and a local meetup location. But Wednesday afternoon at 3 p.m. it was an unofficial unloading spot where Palmer people shared their hearts and their personal donations of needful supplies.

Denise Staats and friends gathered it all together quickly to ship immediately to villages in Western Alaska.

An earlier plea had gone out on local social media, the day before. People in Western Alaska villages were in trouble. An unusual typhoon had destroyed little villages. Small stick homes were floating away on high water. Many families had lost absolutely everything.

Now Alaska is a big and strong geographic state. But the individual human connections within the state are also strong. When Palmer people learned of the turmoil in little Kipnuk, Kwig, and other YK villages, they started digging out warm clothes, gloves, boots, mittens, blankets, sleeping bags, and quilts.

Denise Staats, a longtime Palmer woman, did what she does best—she started organizing. Denise is no stranger to missions or causes. And Denise remembers waitressing in Kipnuk in her younger years. Her personal convictions run strong and her generosity is top of chart. She put out a call for help and within one day, supplies and money were received.

As people quickly dropped off bundles of winter gear and blankets, others dropped off cash for the next trip to Costco to buy bleach and cleaning supplies. Already one $700.00 trip had procured diapers, wipes, hygiene products, tea, pilot bread, peanut butter, cereal and spam. All of the cash turned into necessary supplies for the villagers. Lynden transport was the distributer to the village. Large bags of dog food had already been delivered and this Palmer parking lot load was next on Denise’s list.

The city manager of Palmer released an afternoon press release that Palmer City Hall will also be accepting donations of food, medical, clothing and animal supplies. They will be collecting everything at City Hall, 231 W. Evergreen Ave. location for the next three days.

In Alaska generosity is a given. Whether it is fire, blizzard, flood, or earthquake, rescue or injury, community always joins together in times of need and disaster. It has happened over and over and over. Palmer always steps up to the plate in these situations. And it feels right. Great thanks and confirmation to all the community for helping our larger community.

Barbara Hunt is both Palmer writer and artist. She works hard to keep the robust pulse of Palmer, Alaska. She shares the good stuff on the weekly Palmer Alaska Buzz in the Mat Su Valley Frontiersman and daily on the Palmer Alaska Buzz Facebook Group. Email bhunt@mtaonline.net or text at 907.315.3222