Homer Alaska - Letters

The Homer Community Food Pantry is very grateful for the honor of receiving the Homer city grant administered by the Homer Foundation. We appreciate the trust by the city and the Homer Foundation that we are doing the best we can for our neighbors with their help. Their continued support over the years is valued, needed and much appreciated.

We are one of 63 agencies serving food on the south peninsula from Kenai to Seward to Homer. Our service area is Ninilchik to Nikolaevsk to Nanwalek. We spend an average of $1,000 a month on purchasing food. We have spent more dollars to provide fresh fruit and vegetables this year than ever before. With Harvest of Hope collecting food at the Saturday Homer Farmers' Market, I know that we will have more for our distribution on Mondays. They are a great team of volunteers and we are most thankful.

Many thanks to the U.S. Post Office workers for gathering 485 pounds of food contributed by our giving community. Carlile has delivered about 13,000 pounds to us from the Kenai Peninsula Food Bank since January for the senior food box program and other items as well. They have helped us for two years now and we are appreciative. Thanks go to Top Shelf for its contribution of storage area for those boxes. We are blessed to live in a generous community that continues to extend a helping hand.

One of our favorite champions of the food pantry, generous benefactor, fundraiser and valued board member, friend and faithful volunteer has passed on. Hulkia Strydom will be remembered as a kind, gentle man who showed great respect and care to all of us at the pantry: clients, board members and volunteers. For six years he has served his community, church and friends at the pantry as humbly and ably as any. He will indeed be missed.

Diana Jeska

and the Homer Community Food Pantry Board