Local Salvation Army gets disaster canteen

PALMER -- A Salvation Army disaster canteen has a new summer home in Palmer. This mobile unit is a fully equipped, self-contained kitchen and is used by the Salvation Army to provide food for emergency workers and disaster victims. Jenni Ragland, the public relations coordinator for Salvation Army's Alaska division, said the unit would respond to disasters in the Mat-Su Valley or in areas north of here.

"It's in a strategic location for the summer to respond to fires in Glennallen, Tok or anywhere on the Alaska road system. We could even drive it down to Haines and put it on the ferry to go to Southeast," Ragland said.

The disaster canteen's commercial-grade appliances are powered by a generator that runs off a gas tank. It has a holding tank to store water for coffee or for cooking. Coffee can be served from inside or through a panel accessed from outside the unit. In addition to the two large refrigerators and commercial stove and oven, complete with a fire-suppression system, the canteen boasts a three-compartment sink and a separate hand-washing sink. Janet Kincaid, a Salvation Army volunteer trained to operate the canteen, says the sinks meet the same health-department standards required in commercial kitchens.

"And everything is stainless steel, so we can just hose it down to clean it," she said.

The only thing not kept in the canteen is the food. Kincaid said a chase car would make food runs between the Salvation Army's regular kitchen and the canteen once it has been dispatched.

The Palmer canteen is one of only three such units in the state. A smaller unit is housed in Fairbanks, while two larger units are located in Anchorage. Ragland said the units must be stored indoors in the winter. She said the Salvation Army would consider keeping the canteen in the Valley permanently if inside storage space was available.

Kincaid has been looking for a heated garage in Palmer, but because the Salvation Army is a nonprofit agency, the space would have to be donated.

"Our money is given, so we don't spend it," Kincaid said. "We literally make the nickel squeak."

While wildfires are a danger during summer months, Kincaid knows that disasters can strike anytime.

"We could have used it when the Co-op burned or during this winter's wind storm," she said.

The Salvation Army has trained six volunteers from the Mat-Su to drive and operate the canteen.

"Everyone who goes through training is trained to do everything," Kincaid said. "They learn how to drive it, how to light the pilot lights, how to turn on the generator -- everything."

She said volunteers keep disaster bags in their cars or close at hand so they can respond at a moment's notice. The bags are stocked with toiletries, medications, flashlights -- anything a person might need to stay away from home for a few days.

"I even have a sleeping bag ready," Kincaid said.

In addition to the training, Ragland said the Salvation Army uses the canteens in community events to give volunteers a little extra practice. The Palmer unit, for instance, participated in the Colony Days Parade, and the Anchorage unit participates in that city's Fourth of July celebration. Anchorage volunteers serve pancakes and coffee from the canteen.

"[These events] give trained volunteers a chance to keep their skills fresh," said Ragland.

To learn more about volunteering on the disaster canteen, contact the Salvation Army at 745-7079, or call Janet Kincaid at 745-3855.

"We'd like to have a whole string of people to volunteer," Kincaid said.