Alaska Commercial Company delivered food boxes last Thursday to Kwethluk households in response to empty store shelves at the Kwethluk Native Store. Recognizing the urgency of the food supply shortage, AC chartered a flight to Kwethluk early Thursday morning to deliver 4,000 lbs of dry grocery items to community members.
AC packaged up dry grocery staples such as shelf stable milk, canned vegetables and soups, rice, pancake mix, and spam. 60 food boxes were flown direct from Anchorage to Kwethluk and delivered by AC employees Kyle Hill (President), Walt Pickett (Vice President of Operations), Jim Walker (Vice President of Wholesale), and Margot Wiegele (Store Development Manager)
ATVs lined up outside of the tribal admin office where AC distributed boxes totalling over $15,000 in company food donations. Nearly 60 individuals picked up food boxes that afternoon, with the remaining 120 boxes delivered on the ice road from Bethel.
“The supply chain in rural Alaska often gets backed up from October to January. In AC stores, we try to carry anywhere from 6 to 10 weeks of inventory. If a plane doesn’t come for several weeks, the AC store won’t run out of food,” said Kyle Hill, President of Alaska Commercial Company. “AC was happy to donate some of our food inventory to help with the food shortage in Kwethluk.”
The Kwethluk Native Store gained press coverage in the previous week showing vacant aisles and empty shelves that typically house essential grocery items. The cause appeared to be slow-moving freight through Anchorage and Bethel.
About Alaska Commercial Company
AC is a retailer that provides groceries and general merchandise to communities throughout rural Alaska. AC has been a proud supporter of the Y-K Delta for over 150 years and is honored to serve the people that call this region home. Alaska Commercial Company strives to make a positive impact on food security in throughout Alaska. Learn more at www.alaskacommercial.com.
