In Alaska, 1 in 8 adults and 1 in 6 children experience hunger daily. At Catholic Social Services, our St. Francis House Food Pantry helps those in need receive food, distributing 819,978 lbs. to an average of 116 families a day in 2022.
Visits to St. Francis House Food Pantry doubled from November 2021 to February 2023, directly coinciding to the disruption in SNAP benefits. The need in our community is greater than ever before, 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 huger 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 by gathering 40 lbs of food a day for the 40 days of the lent season, February 22 – April 8 resulting in each group gathering a total of 1,600 lbs.
Your group can participate as part of the competition or, if you would not like to take part, you are still welcome to drop off donations any time! Your donation will still be counted toward the total amount of food donated during Lent.
Each donation that is dropped off will be weighed and tracked. We will be tracking each groups’ progress and reporting weekly through social media and parish announcements , so look out for our posts!
Please reach out to Kelly Mullin at kmullin@cssalaska.org to alert us that your group is participating so we can keep track of your group’s donations! If you would like to share this announcement with others, you can download the flyer here.
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-Friday 9-4pm. Make sure you tell staff that you’re donating on behalf of your organization for the Lent Food Drive so that the weight will be properly recorded. We will give you an in-kind slip before you leave.
Each week we will update the status of the drive on social media so look out for our posts!
The winning group that donates the most over Lent receives a shoutout on social media, Parish Announcements, and the Catholic Social Services Summer Newsletter.
If you have any questions, reach out to Kelly Mullin at kmullin@cssalaska.org 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 with the exception of rice, oatmeal, and pasta. Thank you for your understanding!