In Alaska, 1 in 7 adults and 1 in 6 children experience hunger daily. At Catholic Social Services, our St. Francis House Food Pantry helps provide food for those in need, distributing over 767,978 lbs. of food to an average of 4,775 households in 2025.
The pantry continues to see increased need, and that’s why we are challenging you to help us meet our 12,000-pound food goal. We hope you will join us in fighting hunger insecurity here in Anchorage!
Join Our Friendly Competition
During this season of Lent, as we think of our neighbors and reflect on our blessings, we are asking for your help in reaching our goal of gathering 40 lbs of food a day for the 40 days of Lent, February 18 – April 2.
Participating churches will have a donation bin for food drive items at their respective locations. Individuals and community groups are invited to host a donation drive or donate directly to St. Francis House.
Each donation that is dropped off will be weighed and tracked. We will be tracking each individual & groups’ progress and report the weekly weigh-ins through social media and parish announcements, so look out for our posts @cssalaska!
Please reach out to Michelle Waclawski at mwaclawski@cssalaska.org to let us know your group is participating, so we can track your group’s donations! If you would like to share this announcement with others, you can download the flyer below!
The food items that are needed most at the food pantry are:
- Pasta & rice
- Canned proteins
- Canned vegetables
- Canned fruit
Donations can be dropped off at 3710 E 20th Ave, Monday – Thursday 1 – 4pm, and Fridays 9am – 4pm. Make sure you tell staff that you’re donating on behalf of your organization for the Lent Food Drive so the weight is properly recorded. We will give you an in-kind slip before you leave.
The winning group that donates the most over Lent receives a shoutout on social media & parish announcements.
If you have any questions, reach out to Michelle Waclawski at mwaclawski@cssalaska.org or 907-717-3093.
*Please only donate unopened, individually packaged food items. Unfortunately, we cannot accept bottled water or bulk food items toward your total pounds for the contest, except for rice, oatmeal, and pasta. Thank you for your understanding!