Program targets food insecurity among military families

Dealing with hunger and food insecurity can be a year-round struggle. But during the holidays, the struggle can be extra difficult. Thanks to Armed Services YMCA of Alaska, a statewide nonprofit, that struggle gets a little less stressful for service members. Physically located on federal installations throughout the state of Alaska, including Joint Base Elmendorf Richardson in Anchorage, the organization supports individuals and families during the unique challenges of military life.

ASYMCA provides community resources and critical services to those in need. In addition to health and resiliency programs and early learning opportunities for children, ASYMCA also helps smooth access to food and household goods.

Active in Alaska since 1941, the group recently was able to expand its outreach to the Valley with the help of funding from the Mat-Su Health Foundation.

An October grant for $25,000 followed a $20,000 grant in 2024. The funding covered the expense of gift card purchases that will provide extra food and basic-needs support to 100 food-insecure Valley families during the holidays.

Sarah Riffer, the organization’s executive director, said the holiday meals program is part of the group’s mission to support active-duty military families without creating barriers and causing additional stress or anxiety.

“Our team is intentional when it comes to ensuring we are inclusive and never presumptuous about how another family makes sure all bellies are fed,” she said. “Having the ability to give our families a gift card instead of a pre-selected packaged meal helps us achieve that goal.”

The nonprofit Mat-Su Health Foundation has been making this kind of investment in community health and wellness since its inception in 2007, when it became part owner of the Mat-Su Regional Medical Center. Since that time, the Health Foundation has returned more than $140 million of its share of hospital profits to the community in the form of scholarships, sponsorships, and grants to nonprofit organizations around the Valley.

Riffer said the grants have been essential to helping ASYMCA expand its outreach to Mat-Su military families.

“We absolutely would not be able to offer this opportunity without the funding from the Mat-Su Health Foundation,” she said. “We appreciate the grace and swiftness with which they came to the table to simply help us ensure not only happy and filling holiday meals, but also that military members and their families have the freedom to choose their own food and fulfill holiday meal traditions in their own homes.”

Also critical to the program’s success and to the heart of ASYMCA’s mission, Riffer said, are volunteers. At a recent gift card distribution ahead of Thanksgiving, three volunteers handled the task of greeting families, handing out the gift cards, and asking if there was any other assistance the organization could provide.

“One mom shared with me that she was so excited to get each of her children a box of their favorite cereal for Christmas morning without the worry of hitting her maximum grocery budget,” she said. “I could actually feel the joy her children will surely feel when they discover that small treat.”

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https://alaska.asymca.org/