Palmer pantry plans annual push

PALMER — Folks might be flush with PFD cash now, but it won’t be long before the need for affordable food is once again at the front of people’s minds.

With the upcoming holiday season in mind, the Palmer Food Bank is holding its 4^th Annual Palmer Pantry Push, the all-volunteer organization’s only food drive of the year.

“We do it this time of year because the pantry is kind of low,” said volunteer Patti Dubler, who is coordinating this year’s event.

Dubler said there’s often a lag in donations that occurs right before the holidays, meaning the time to get an additional push of food into the center at 221 South Valley Way is now.

“We are already trying to get stuff for the holidays,” Dubler said.

The event continues through Oct. 11.

The Palmer drive isn’t the only event being held this weekend. On Saturday, the Big Lake Lions will hold a canned food drive as part of its Swap Meet at Performance Yamaha from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. in Wasilla.

A busy summer has also tapped resources at the small food bank downtown, which serves a variety of clients ranging from working families to elderly people on fixed incomes.

For this year’s food drive, the Palmer Food Bank is enlisting the help of a number of local businesses, where people can drop off their canned foods or other nonperishable food items. Just look for the flier for “The Great Pantry Push” at any of about 50 locations in the area – including the Frontiersman.

Food can also be dropped off at the food pantry, although the small staff there asks that people call ahead before stopping by to drop off items. The pantry is open from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. on Monday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday and can be reached at 746-3565.

The annual food drive was started four years ago following the retirement of Henry Guinotte, who managed the location for more than four decades. When Guinotte left, Dubler said pantry employees decided to hold the event to assure the former director that the organization would carry on without him.

“We started the food drive for him so he felt better about retiring,” Dubler said.

The event has grown into a yearly event for the food bank.

“Everybody was so generous that we’ve continued to do it,” she said.

The food bank needs canned food, boxed food and even fresh produce. They’ll also accept cash donations, which Dubler said can be used to purchase large amounts of food at the Food Bank of Alaska’s main location in Anchorage.

“We can take it into the big Food Bank in Anchorage and we can get about three times the food you or I can just buy at Costco,” she said.

The drive coincides with several private events in the area, including a push by local farmers to donate potatoes to the hungry. On Wednesday, Future Farmers of America teacher Don Berberich and student Chad Cunningham stopped by with a load of potatoes from VanderWeele Farm. Berberich said the group collects potatoes from farmers and transports them to the food bank as part of its “Hunger Heroes Challenge” project.

Dubler said local farmers are a staple of the local food giving community. She said VanderWeele Farm, as well as local farmer Brad Lewis, keeps the Palmer pantry stocked with spuds year-round.

“They bring us potatoes all the time,” she said.

Dubler said her favorite part of the food drive is that it shows just how giving folks in the Mat-Su Valley can be.

“I’m constantly amazed at how generous people are,” she said.

For more information about the food drive, call 746-2135.

Contact Frontiersman editor Matt Tunseth at 352-2268 or matt.tunseth@frontiersman.com