By Rachael Kvapil
A Welsh proverb says, “A little among neighbors is worth more than riches in a wilderness.” At some point in life, everyone needs help. Thanks to the generosity of local sponsors and many volunteers, the Neighbor to Neighbor program in the Denali Borough is making sure people get help year-round.
Though Neighbor to Neighbor was officially incorporated in 2000, volunteers partnered even before that with Santa’s Clearning House to provide food boxes and toys for families in need of assistance. However, the burden of finances and logistics eventually led to a new approach. Barb Walters, founder and board member of Neighbor to Neighbor, says the organization initially focused on providing items during the holiday seasons. Their services slowly grew over time as they established a local food bank and provided crisis response, community support and assistance with housing relief.
“Not everyone in the borough has the opportunity to work at the coal mine or at the power plant,” Barb says. “We have many community members who are working lower-paying jobs. By the time winter comes and people have paid for heating fuel and other living expenses, there isn’t always a lot of money left over during the holidays for food and presents.”
The COVID-19 pandemic played a big part in expanding their role beyond holiday assistance. Throughout 2020 and 2021, Neighbor to Neighbor partnered with the Fairbanks Community Food Bank to deliver The Emergency Food Assistance Program (TEFAP) food boxes to Denali Borough residents once a month. Boxes were distributed among the communities of Cantwell, Healy and Anderson. Additional sponsors—in conjunction with a state and local government Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security grant and Covid Relief Funds from the United Way of Tanana Valley—provided Neighbor to Neighbor with the opportunity to create a food bank within the Denali Borough.
Barb points out that the Denali Food Bank is a much smaller operation than the 1 in Fairbanks, which means food collection and distribution works a little differently. Throughout the year, Neighbor to Neighbor collects food and cash donations and packs boxes for its monthly distribution list. Since the office is on private property, people can’t go on-site to pick up boxes like in Fairbanks. Luckily, Holland America donated a surplus van that allows volunteers to deliver food boxes. Barb says food boxes are modeled after the TEFAP program, but there are some differences. Sometimes they will use donations to buy additional milk, bread, cheese, eggs and fresh produce from their local Three Bears grocery.
In the past, Barb says they have had to get creative when they issue food items that people may not know how to use. 1 staple she says people have trouble with are dried beans, lentils, split peas, etc. She says they once taped recipes onto bags of dried beans so that people had a starting point for making nutritious, delicious meals.
“I’m grateful to Samantha Kirstein from the Fairbanks Community Food Bank for letting me shadow her all those years,” Barb says. “We have a much smaller operation, and we face different challenges, but we are always willing to find creative ways to make it work.”
Barb says the biggest challenge for Neighbor to Neighbor is adequate storage. Initial funding allowed for the purchase of a portable garage for long-term cold and dry storage and a commercial freezer and refrigerator. Sponsors Mark Menke and Todd Shorey of DArlin Enterprises set up the former pharmacy building in Healy to centralize the organization’s operations. Barb says volunteers will sometimes temporarily store food until it’s needed. Neighbor to Neighbor has also arranged their distribution calendar so things don’t go to waste.
“At the end of the summer, when the hotels shut down, we receive extra food donations,” Barb says. “We store what we can and then distribute the rest to the communities.”
Walters is extremely grateful for all the people who have helped Neighbor to Neighbor establish a centralized location for food bank services. As the operation grows, she hopes they can make it easier for families to receive food boxes as they’re needed. That kind of growth would require significant financial investment and manpower to set up and maintain that kind of system.
In addition to grocery supplements, she says there are also applicants for laundry and shower tokens, winter clothing and medical recovery care and support. Likewise, Neighbor to Neighbor provides necessities to individual families who have suffered an unexpected tragedy. Barb says these kinds of services are possible because of motivated volunteers who identify the needs in the borough communities and then find a way to fill them.
“In the last few years, there have been a lot of fires,” Barb says. “We have helped victims and others by collecting financial donations and providing the full amount to them in a single check. We don’t take a percentage like crowdsourcing, and they don’t have to wait long for assistance.”
For holiday distribution, Neighbor to Neighbor moved food and gift donations to a centralized location. On average, 70 families receive food boxes, and more than 60 children receive gifts each year. Families who receive assistance either apply directly to Neighbor to Neighbor or are submitted as a referral. Every year, Neighbor to Neighbor updates its food and gift lists to make sure families still wish to receive these services or need other services from the organization.
Barb feels blessed by all the donations that come in during the year and all the volunteers who come together to shop for items, pack food boxes, deliver them to families monthly, and manage other tasks associated with the organization. She says accomplishing everything brings together a cross-section of the community that includes all ages, beliefs, and backgrounds. In Barb’s eyes, residents of the Denali Borough understand the importance of helping their fellow neighbors in times of crisis. “It truly takes a village to make things happen,” Barb says.