FIFTH OPENING – The Sitka seine boats Hukilau and Rose Lee pump herring aboard this afternoon at the end of Deep Inlet during the fifth opening in the Sitka Sound sac roe herring fishery. The opening was being held in two locations beginning at 11 a.m. (Sentinel Photo by James Poulson) 

New RFP Sought For Managing PAC
27 Mar 2024 14:48

By GARLAND KENNEDY
Sentinel Staff Writer
    The future of management and operations at the Perform [ ... ]

Seiners Get Second Day with 2 Areas to Fish
27 Mar 2024 14:46

By Sentinel Staff
    The Sitka Sound commercial herring sac roe fishery continued today with open [ ... ]

Braves Take Second in Last Minute Upset
27 Mar 2024 12:41

By GARLAND KENNEDY
Sentinel Sports Editor
    After storming into the state 3A boys basketball brac [ ... ]

Tuesday City League Volleyball
27 Mar 2024 12:39

By Sentinel Staff
    The Queen Bees’ spotless season record ended Tuesday night with a 2-1 loss [ ... ]

Kodiak Alutiiq Museum Getting New Attention
27 Mar 2024 12:37

By SHIRLEY SNEVE
Indian Country Today
    A major renovation at an Alaska museum to attract tourist [ ... ]

House Hearing on Inmate Deaths Halted
27 Mar 2024 12:35

By CLAIRE STREMPLE
Alaska Beacon
    A presentation about a jump in the number of inmate deaths in  [ ... ]

Nominee to Bering Sea Council: Not a Trawler
27 Mar 2024 12:34

By NATHANIEL HERZ
Northern Journal
    Tribal and environmental advocates calling for a crackdown o [ ... ]

March 27, 2024, Police Blotter
27 Mar 2024 12:26

Police Blotter
Sitka police received the following calls by 8 a.m. today:
March 26
At 2:10 p.m. a man e [ ... ]

March 27, 2024, Community Happenings
27 Mar 2024 12:25

Big Rigs Sought
For April 13
The 3 to 5 Preschool’s spring fundraiser and Big Rig event is happening [ ... ]

Reassessments Raise Tax Bills for Sitkans
26 Mar 2024 15:22

By SHANNON HAUGLAND
Sentinel Staff Writer
    The city’s reassessment of taxable real estate, alo [ ... ]

Two Areas Opened in Herring Fishery Today
26 Mar 2024 15:21

By Sentinel Staff
The third opening in this year’s Sitka Sound sac roe herring fishery was held Mon [ ... ]

Lady Wolves Rally to Take Fourth at State
26 Mar 2024 15:16

By GARLAND KENNEDY
Sentinel Sports Editor
    Sitka High’s Lady Wolves bounced back from an openi [ ... ]

Edgecumbe Girls Close Out Season Up North
26 Mar 2024 14:58

By GARLAND KENNEDY
Sentinel ports Editor
    Competing in the state 3A basketball tournament in Anc [ ... ]

City League Monday
26 Mar 2024 14:55

By Sentinel Staff
    Playing in a competitive division City League volleyball game Monday evening [ ... ]

House Votes to Broaden Rules For Review Panel Memb...
26 Mar 2024 14:52

By JAMES BROOKS
Alaska Beacon
    A bill that passed the Alaska House of Representatives on Monday  [ ... ]

Alaskan Grilled in D.C. Over Climate Science
26 Mar 2024 14:51

By NATHANIEL HERZ
Northern Journal
    Gus Schumacher, the Anchorage Olympic cross-country skier, a [ ... ]

Faster Internet Speeds In Rural Schools OK'd
26 Mar 2024 13:53

By CLAIRE STREMPLE
Alaska Beacon
    Alaska’s rural schools are on track to access faster interne [ ... ]

Native Words Gathered In Environment Studies
26 Mar 2024 13:52

By YERETH ROSEN
Alaska Beacon
    In the language of the Gwich’in people of northeastern Alaska,  [ ... ]

March 26, 2024, Police Blotter
26 Mar 2024 13:49

Police Blotter
Sitka police received the following calls by 8 a.m. today:
March 25
At 7:48 a.m. a calle [ ... ]

March 26, 2024, Community Happenings
26 Mar 2024 13:48

Vietnam-Era Vets
Invited to Lunch,
Commemoration
American Legion Post 13 will host a luncheon 1-3 p.m.  [ ... ]

Sac Roe Herring Fishery Opens in Hayward
25 Mar 2024 15:30

By GARLAND KENNEDY
Sentinel Staff Writer
    The 2024 Sitka Sound sac roe herring fishery got under [ ... ]

Projects on the Table For Cruise Tax Funds
25 Mar 2024 15:28

By SHANNON HAUGLAND
Sentinel Staff Writer
    The Assembly will start the annual process of determi [ ... ]

Braves Take Second at State after Close Loss
25 Mar 2024 15:23

By Sentinel Staff
    Competing in the 3A state championship title basketball game Saturday, the M [ ... ]

City League Games Continue
25 Mar 2024 15:11

By Sentinel Staff
    Playing through the afternoon Sunday, City League volleyball teams faced off [ ... ]

Other Articles

Daily Sitka Sentinel

SCS, Tribe Adopt Sitka Free Meal Program

By GARLAND KENNEDY
Sentinel Staff Writer

The distribution of free food to young Sitkans will continue through the summer with the agreement of the Sitka Tribe of Alaska and the Sitka Conservation Society to take over the Sitka School District program that ended June 30.

“Our larger concern is to ask not just in this moment of crisis but in general why are people going hungry in our community? And what are some systemic solutions to this problem?” said Chandler O’Connell, community catalyst of the Sitka Conservation Society.

Any Sitkan 18 years old and younger, regardless of their association with Sitka schools or financial status, is eligible. In addition, any 19-year-old who is still in high school is eligible.

The STA and SCS collaboration started their free meals program last Friday, serving 349 people, and again this Tuesday, serving 392.

STA Youth Program Manager Hillary Nutting, who helped put the program together, said it falls under the tribe’s Cultural Resources, Education, and Employment (CREE) department.

“It’s amazing, it feels so good to help so many families in Sitka and it’s hard to put into words how good it feels,” Nutting said. “It feels really good and I’m really proud to be a part of this.”

Shawn Hutchinson packs lunch bags for Kids Kupboard this morning at Sweetland Hall on the SJ campus. (Sentinel Photo by James Poulson)

The food distribution site has been relocated from the Sitka High parking lot to the STA building parking lot at 201 Siginaka Way.

“Sitka Tribal Enterprises is providing Tribal Tour vans that will go pick up food from the kitchen site on the Sheldon Jackson campus,” Nutting said. “They bring the bags to the Siginaka parking lot where we have our crew. They unload the prepackaged bags on the table. And family members drive through a little loop to pick up one bag per child,” Nutting said.

Distribution hours are 8:30 a.m. through noon on Tuesdays and Fridays. Each bag has food for seven days of breakfast and lunch. The food is prepared at the Sitka Fine Arts Camp kitchen on the Sheldon Jackson campus.

Although families can pick up the food in person, Prewitt Enterprises has continued remote food distribution service by bus, Nutting said. About half of the meals are delivered, rather than being picked up on-site, she said.

To maintain physical distancing, the in-person food pickup is a drive-through process.

O’Connell said that for now the food provided is pre-packaged, but she hopes for different options moving forward.

“One of our stretch goals with this program is we would love to find a way to add value to families and source local foods,” she said. To that end, SCS and STA have been in touch with the Alaska Longline Fishermen’s Association.

“We’re working with ALFA, trying to connect kids to local seafood. And if any local businesses are interested in collaborating they can reach out,” O’Connell said.

She noted that the program received U.S. Department of Agriculture funding, as well as aid from the Sitka Legacy Foundation.

Looking into the future, both Nutting and O’Connell hoped that summer food assistance programs may have a long-term future in Sitka.

“What we’re hoping is this program can continue next summer under our department ... so the passing of the torch on to us from the Conservation Society,” Nutting said.

O’Connell agreed, and hoped for solutions to the hunger situation in Sitka.

“We are interested in long-term sustainable solutions as well,” she said. “If this program works well we would love to see it continue in Sitka through another institution.”

O’Connell concluded that food security is essential to a healthy community.

“We believe that food security is fundamental to community well-being,” she said.

Anyone eligible and interested in signing up for the food program should contact SCS’ Jill Hayden at jill@sitkawild.org or 907-623-8209.

Nutting added that she enjoyed having interaction with local children again. The ongoing pandemic has greatly limited social interaction, especially between young people after schools closed in March.

“It’s nice to see kids again. I’m used to seeing them so regularly, and then it stopped so instantaneously. And that’s why we’re here. It has been really nice to see them again and have some feeling of normalcy,” she said.

You have no rights to post comments

Login Form

 

20 YEARS AGO

March 2004

Matthew C. Hunter of Sitka recently returned from Cuba as part of a St. Olaf College International and Off-Campus Studies program. Hunter, a junior physics major at St. Olaf College, is the son of Robert and Kim Hunter of Sitka.


50 YEARS AGO

March 1974

Eighth graders have returned from a visit to Juneau to see the Legislature. They had worked for it since Christmas vacation ... Clarice Johnson’s idea of a “White Elephant” sales was chosen as the best money-maker; Joe Roth won the political cartoon assignment; highest government test scorers were Ken Armstrong, Joanna Hearn, Linda Montgomery, Lisa Henry, Calvin Taylor and David Licari .....

Calendar

Local Events

Instagram

Daily Sitka Sentinel on Instagram!

Facebook

Daily Sitka Sentinel on Facebook!