Donations brought joy to children
I am writing to thank Juneau residents for sharing the true meaning of Christmas with children in need this past holiday season.
Because of the generosity of donors in Juneau and across the United States, Operation Christmas Child, a project of Samaritan’s Purse, collected more than 8.9 million shoebox gifts in 2019. Combined with those collected from partnering countries in 2019, the ministry is now sending 10,569,405 shoebox gifts to children worldwide.
Through shoeboxes — packed with fun toys, school supplies and hygiene items — Juneau volunteers brought joy to children in need around the world. Each gift-filled shoebox is a tangible expression of God’s love, and it is often the first gift these children have ever received. Thanks to the generosity of donors, Operation Christmas Child has collected and delivered more than 178 million gift-filled shoeboxes to children in more than 160 countries and territories since 1993.
It’s not too late for people to make a difference. Though drop-off locations serving Juneau are closed until Nov. 16-23, 2020, information about year-round volunteer opportunities can also be found at samaritanspurse.org/occ or by calling (253) 572 – 1155.
Thank you again to everyone who participated in this global project — many who do so year after year. These simple gifts, packed with love, send a message to children worldwide that they are loved and not forgotten.
Dana Williams,
Operation Christmas Child in Boone, North Carolina
Thanks for the donations
On behalf of the Southeast Alaska Food Bank (SEAFB) board of directors, volunteers and those we serve, we would like to thank everyone at Petro Marine Services for their extremely generous donation from their fall fuel promotion. On Jan. 17, Peter Bibb presented us with a check for $3555.93, which will go a long way to help those in our community suffering with food insecurity.
Feeding America, a nationwide network of food banks, estimates that one in seven Americans suffer from food insecurity, and in Alaska that figure is closer to one in five, with children and seniors being most at risk. That means that roughly 6,000 of our friends, neighbors and co-workers may not know when or where their next meal will come from.
The work the SEAFB accomplishes throughout the year of collecting, storing and distributing food to those in need is accomplished by thousands of volunteer hours and our manager, the only paid position we have. In our last fiscal year the SEAFB distributed almost 500,000 pounds of food to our member agencies, nonprofit organizations and individuals within the community.
It is through contributions like this that allows the SEAFB to work towards our goal of providing healthy and nutritious food to our fellow Juneauites who need help providing food for themselves and their families.
Thank you again Petro Marine Services. Working together, we can aid in the war to end hunger.
With sincere appreciation and thanks,
Chris Schapp,
Southeast Alaska Food Bank Manager
