Food Bank of Alaska’s Thanksgiving Blessing returns to serve thousands

The Food Bank of Alaska and its partners handed out groceries to around 10,000 families this week, with events on Saturday in the Mat-Su and Monday in Anchorage. Each box is enough for a family to have a Thanksgiving meal.

In Mountain View, volunteer Laura Desmond helped Fia Lilomaiava pick out what she wanted for her family’s dinner. “My husband does the cooking,” said Lilomaiava, who had a basket full of canned beans, corn, stuffing, apples and sweet rolls with margarine. “He’s cooked Thanksgiving for the last 17 years.” Lilomaiava also picked up a turkey on her way out to her vehicle.

“We started about noon,” said volunteer Paula Green, who was at the Mountain View Community Center with other volunteers from New Hope Baptist Church, “but people started lining up probably by 10:30 a.m.”

“Things are definitely expensive,” said Green. “So it’s good to have this available for people.”