Letters to the Editor

Student artist grateful for support

I am writing to express my thanks and acknowledgement for receiving the Alain and Daniel Rieser Scholarship from the Tin Roof Fund as well as the Ptarmigan Arts Visual Scholarship from the Ptarmigan Arts Scholarship Fund at the Homer Foundation. I am overjoyed to have received these two scholarships to allow for further growth of my art skills in the foreign country of my destination: South Korea.

Sincerely,

Mariah McGuire

Thanks to firefighters

We want to thank the City of Homer Police and Homer Volunteer Fire Departments for their professional and successful efforts in containing the recent building fire on Bunnell Avenue. We appreciate your service to the community.

Shelly and Buck Laukitis

Donate fresh produce to food pantry

As we enter into the summer season of fresh produce, please consider donating to our local Homer Community Food Pantry (HCFP). Every week HCFP serves between 120-150 families. The bulk of our services provide for families in the Homer area but we also serve as far up the road as Anchor Point and Ninilchik as well as providing 30+ boxes across the bay monthly.

We have noticed a significant decrease in the amount of produce that we are able to secure from the local grocery stores. Even the amount of produce purchased by HCFP has been greatly reduced due to supply chain issues or for whatever reason. As people are losing their government funding, the need is perhaps even greater now with inflation and the numerous implications of Covid.

The Homer gardening community has been very generous in the past, so please consider donating to HCFP as we certainly use it and appreciate it. We are located in the lower level of the United Methodist Church at 770 East End Road. There is open shopping every Monday from noon until 3 p.m. We have volunteers that work at the pantry as well as those who pick up deliveries throughout the week. There is also an outside receptacle for canned and dry goods that can be dropped off at any time.

You can leave a message for us at 907-235-1968 or email homerfoodpantry@gmail.com. Walk in donations are always welcome 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Mondays.

Thank you for your support,

Deb Schmidt, Homer Food Pantry

‘HoWLing’ for foundation support

Dear Homer Community,

HoWL, Homer Wilderness Leaders, would like to thank the Homer Foundation’s Opportunity Fund for funding the instructor training portion of HoWL’s “Rock Climbing Revival” project. Through the Opportunity Foundation’s generous support, HoWL can continue to empower young leaders through outdoor experiential education by providing fun and dynamic adventures in Alaska.

The benefits of rock climbing exemplify the values of outdoor experiential education which HoWL harnesses to empower young leaders on journeys of self discovery, stewardship, and community building.

We believe that the investment into our youth by organizations such as the Homer Foundation fuel a happy and healthy community now and into the future.

Thank you, Homer Foundation and all who contribute to the Opportunity Fund.

With gratitude,

Tela Bacher, HoWL Board of Directors

Don’t forget to vote

I have worked the election polling site for my precinct since 2020. It is a long day but a rather fun social time and a very rewarding experience. I get to see many neighbors. Best of all I get to see parents and grandparents bring their kids in to see how we vote, young adults excited about voting for the first time, senior citizens proudly exercising the right and responsibility to vote. Everyone is grateful we are there and thank us as they leave. Sometimes kind observers bring us treats and coffee!

For this Special Primary, your Mail-In ballot needs to be posted no later than June 11. If you plan to mail it, get it postmarked. You can also drop it off at a local Early Absentee In-Person voting site. That’s at the City Clerk’s offices in Homer, Kenai, Seldovia and Seward, and at the Soldotna Prep School.

The state elections website at elections.alaska.org is packed with voter information like signing up to track your mail-in ballots, candidate lists and sample ballots. There is also information on ballot security and chain-of-custody. Check that out at https://www.elections.alaska.gov/Core/alaskasballotcountprocess.php

Safeguards begin with Alaska Online Voter Registration System which has firewall and intrusion prevention systems, data back-ups and corrupted data recovery. Elections officials are trained in cybersecurity. Election day you are required to show proof of voting eligibility and sign the precinct register. If you are not on the precinct register you will be instructed to do a Question Ballot which is a form getting your name, address, etc. along with a ballot. Your ballot is counted in the machine and then retained for verification counts. If you vote by mail, you can track your ballot at elections.alaska.gov. See the above website for what happens after the polls close. It is a very secure and guarded process.

Be an informed voter and remember all votes count and all voices matter.

Therese Lewandowski, For Kenai Peninsula Votes

Grateful for library, reading support

Friends of the Homer Public Library would like to express their gratitude for the $4,840 Quick Grant given through the Opportunity Funds at the Homer Foundation in support of the Read Beyond the Beaten Path Summer @HPL reading and learning program. We hope to encourage our community to explore the world – camping, hiking, fishing, boating, tide-pooling, and biking – while reading all summer long.

This grant provides the funding necessary for two virtual author visits with Dan Bar-el and copies of his book “The Very, Very Far North” for a Kids Book Club, as well as a storytelling and drawing workshop with Chickaloonies graphic novelists. It also provides support for adventure storytimes at local beaches, a Gullah and Geechee Culture & Drumming Program with Ted Carter, and more. Thank you again to the Homer Foundation for supporting children’s programming that enhances exploration of the world in nature, cultural learning and literacy at our Homer Public Library.

Cheryl Illg, Friends of the Homer Public Library Coordinator and the whole FHPL Board