Access to food on the peninsula has been especially difficult with social distancing measures making it more difficult for some in-need to go grocery shopping. To help, Change 4 The Kenai is encouraging residents to utilize a local food pantry to allow residents to find food during a challenging stretch.
On a social media post, the leadership coalition Change 4 The Kenai noted that they have filled up a local food pantry where residents can take what they need, and leave what they are able to leave. This is consistent with their current initiative: “Alaskans stand together, six feet apart.” Not only did they discuss their efforts to re-fill the pantry, but they encouraged residents to take action on their own.
The pantry was originally built by students at Soldotna Montessori Charter School in 2017. Their goal was to help those in need of nutritional assistance by building a mini food pantry located next to Soldotna Montessori and Soldotna Elementary. The pantry is not maintained exclusively by the school, as it has always been intended to be a project that is perpetually stocked by members of the community.
Any residents aiming to utilize the pantry, be it those in-need or those looking to contribute, can find it between the risk management building and the pump building in Soldotna. As the sign at the pantry says, “All are welcome!” As the students responsible for the pantry said in 2017: “A commitment at Soldotna Montessori Charter School is to leave our community a better place than how we found it.”
Change 4 The Kenai is a shared leadership coalition for prevention of the consequences of substance abuse for the communities of Kenai, Soldotna, Sterling, Nikiski, and Kasilof.
Photo courtesy Change 4 the Kenai.