The Kenai Peninsula Food Bank is offering a support base to residents who are struggling with food insecurity, especially those whose needs have increased because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Greg Meyer, the Executive Director of the Kenai Peninsula Food Bank: “We are doing business as usual, in a new way! We are continuing the Fireweed Diner, it’s just that we’re doing that in a to-go fashion. We’ve committed to doing a hot meal Monday through Friday, then on Fridays, we’re helping people load up for the weekend. We’re committed to continuing doing that. We’re still doing the food pick-ups. Of course, right now, with the stores being shopped so heavily, we’re not getting as much donation there – but we’re picking up every day and providing that food.”
He acknowledged that the COVID-19 crisis has led the Food Bank to see people who might be in-need for the very first time: “What we’re seeing is not only an increase in need, but we’re seeing a lot of people that are accessing the services for the first time, or for the first time in a while. I’m just grateful that we can do that, and I want everybody to know that we’re here and ready to do that. The U.S.D.A. has opened up a window for us, so if there are people who are not signed up for any program at this point, we can geet them some emergency relief right away, if they come to the Food Bank. Then, we can work on getting them signed up.”
He also mentioned that they’re trying to conduct business in the parking lot, to allow people to follow social distancing guidelines when dropping off items: “In the parking lot, we’re doing things right from the door, keeping people out, keeping them safe, keeping them healthy, keeping our physical distances in-place. Then, we are still receiving donations. We are taking those back in the warehouse. We’ve put carts outside that we monitor, or if people do want to come in – I’m honoring the fact that it’s best to drive by and drop things off.”
When assisting the Food Bank, Mr. Meyer says that the best method of assistance right now is financial aid: “As hard as it is for me to say sometimes, probably cash donations are going to be most helpful to us right now. We had to limit, dramatically, how many volunteers are coming in the building, just to keep the building healthy. So, the staff is doing the majority of the work on our own right now.”
The Food Bank is also doing its best to ensure that people are able to have a proper Easter meal this year: “On Friday [April 10], we are doing a special Easter meal, even though we can’t have the meal here together. We want people to have a special meal for the Easter holiday. So, on Good Friday, we’re gonna have turkey, baked potatoes, vegetables, and stuffing. We weren’t able to get ourselves access to hams this year, so it’ll be turkey instead, but we’re gonna do a really nice meal and we encourage people to come. We’re making extra food, planning to hopefully feed extra people that day.”
Mr. Meyer suggests asking questions whenever necessary. They can be contacted at (907) 262-3111.