The small Southeast Alaska town of Gustavus is hosting a food drive this weekend. And it’s getting a boost from a Juneau food bank.
The drive is the first step in plans to open up a new, permanent food pantry – something the town doesn’t have yet. For the first time on Saturday, Gustavus residents will be able to fill a box or bag with food they need — there will be over 1000 lbs. of food items to choose from.
Gustavus is off the road system, meaning most things – including its food — must be flown or shipped in. It has one grocery store, but prices can often be higher than what some people, especially on fixed incomes, can afford.
That’s why a group of residents worked together to host the food drive this weekend – and later hope to open a new food bank for the community.
“With the ongoing rises in cost of food, cost of living, there’s just been a lot of need being spoken of throughout the community,” said Chantel Mulligan-Rear, one of the Gustavus organizers.
She said the food drive is so that residents in Gustavus can start the new year with a sense of hope and security.
“I grew up in Gustavus. It’s hard to get food when you’re limited on funding and to be able to offer that it’s an honor to be in the position. It’s just been a great process so far,” she said.
Mulligan-Rear said it’s also part of a bigger plan to offer a more permanent food pantry to serve the town’s roughly 700 residents throughout the year. She said they plan to offer at least four food drives at the location in 2025 – but more could pop up depending on the community needs. This weekend’s drive is in Kimber Owen’s garage.
It’s in collaboration with the Southeast Alaska Foodbank in Juneau. Emma Sihler works for the food bank and helped deliver more than 1000 lbs. of food from the Juneau food bank.
“It just worked out that I was headed over here for the holidays anyways, so figured it would be the perfect time to bring over some food,” she said, while on the ferry. “We had a truck we were bringing to some friends here anyway, so we just stuffed it as full as we could and brought it on the ferry with us.”
Organizers said Gustavus has a significant elderly population. So, most of the food being shipped in for this weekend’s drive is easy to open and easy to prepare. That’s to accommodate people who might struggle to make a meal from raw ingredients. The shipment also included healthy snacks for children.
“I think it’s just really important to recognize kind of limitations and access, and the fact that everyone deserves to have access to food, and especially food that’s nutritious and quality food,” Sihler said.
This weekend’s drive will kick off on Saturday at 10 a.m. and run through 2 p.m. on Glen’s Ditch Road. Residents can also send a private message to organizers to have the food delivered to their homes.