By David Washburn
Senior Voice 

Food box home deliveries available in Anchorage and Mat-Su areas

Volunteer drivers needed

 


Food Bank of Alaska is looking for volunteers in the Anchorage and Mat-Su areas to deliver food boxes once a month to homebound seniors. The food boxes are distributed through the Commodity Supplemental Food Program, CSFP, and contain about 30 pounds of food: cereal, grain, peanut butter, juice. Some items such as cheese are not shelf-stable so it is important the boxes be distributed promptly, on schedule, said Sandra Mitchell, CSFP program manager at Food Bank of Alaska.

Mitchell said she currently has 12 volunteers delivering to 52 clients.

“We have about 10 routes in Anchorage and right now the largest route has seven clients.”

The goal is to keep the number of deliveries on routes pretty low, so that the volunteer drivers can take their time visiting with clients when they drop off the boxes, Mitchell said.

“Some of our seniors who are homebound don’t have much interaction so we encourage our volunteers to spend a few minutes.”

Mitchell said she has one route in Wasilla and is looking for a driver to deliver in Palmer.

“The best thing that could happen would be a commuter would volunteer, so they could come into Anchorage to pick up the food.”

Mitchell said Food Bank has been distributing food boxes since 2003, and she has been with the program for four years. “We’re working on expanding the delivery program. When I came, there were about 30ish clients and it was kind of fizzling out. But I’m realizing there’s a need for deliveries out there.”

For more information on the program and volunteering, contact Sandra Mitchell at 222-3104 or smitchell@foodbankofalaska.org.

 
 

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