On a recent Thursday afternoon, the line outside Anchorage Northside Adventist Church’s food bank formed well before the doors opened. By 3 p.m., about 50 families and individuals were ready to push their carts through the church basement, picking up boxes of food, fresh produce, frozen salmon and even pet supplies.
Behind the scenes, a small team of volunteers had already put in days of work to make that moment possible.
The program, which paused briefly during the COVID-19 pandemic to improve safety, has steadily grown under the leadership of Danya Nicketa, coordinator. Volunteers handle everything from renting trucks to bagging frozen fish, each person filling a vital role.
On Tuesdays, Dan de la Torre rents a U-Haul while Shirley Temple and her daughter, Haley, shop for and load boxes of groceries. Other helpers unload the truck at the church, moving canned goods, dairy and frozen food into the distribution center.
Preparation continues the next day. Temple and 91-year-old Joan Tobuk spend hours repackaging large cases of salmon into meal-sized bags, often taking breaks to warm their hands as they work through the frozen slabs. By Thursday afternoon, the food bank floor is ready.
Volunteers Sallie Plaster, Vicky Hahn, Ercil Griffith, Susan Low and Barney Baty join in to assist with distribution. Clients check in with Ketsia Guerrier before collecting carts preloaded with staples. From there, they choose fruits, vegetables, frozen items and ready-to-eat foods, while Baty runs the finicky elevator to keep supplies moving.
Upstairs, Emmanuel Guerrier helps load vehicles, assisted by his teenage sons, Jeremiah and Jonathan, who return carts and reload them for the next family in line. Their energy has become a welcome addition to the largely older team.
For many clients, the process takes only minutes. For the volunteers, it is a three-day effort marked by sore muscles, frozen fingers and plenty of teamwork. But the reward, they say, is seeing neighbors leave with food on their tables and hope in their hands.
“It’s a blessing,” Giny Lonser, volunteer, shared. “We’re tired at the end of the day, but it’s worth every bit of it.”
Haley Temple (left) and Shirley Temple (right) unload groceries for the food bank.
Barney Baty brings in donations from the elevator.
Volunteers prepare food items for clients to select.
Dan de la Torre loads the U-Haul with food items for transport to Anchorage Northside Church.
A freezer full of salmon is ready for distribution.
Shirley Temple prepares food boxes.
Food bank volunteers from left to right: Sallie Plaster, Shirley Temple, Joan Tobuk, Vicky Hahn and Susan Low.
Giny Lonser (left) and Joan Tobuk (right) repackage salmon for distribution.
Thursday afternoon is when clients have access to the food bank.
Vicky Hahn helps prepare for clients' arrival.
