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Paul Bentley has been a part of The Salvation Army Mat-Su Valley (Alaska) Corps for 15 years. He said he tries to volunteer as much as he can with the food pantry, sometimes participating in deliveries to homebound seniors in the bush.
“This year was one of the bad years,” he said. “Lots of snow.”
Much of Alaska experienced extreme cold this winter, with temperatures well below zero in many parts of the state at the beginning of 2024. Anchorage experienced record snowfall in February, and the Matanuska-Susitna Valley (Mat-Su), located an hour away, also had an abundance of snow and high winds. This resulted in blizzards that blocked roads and limited travel.
Those conditions haven’t stopped the Mat-Su Valley Corps from continuing to deliver food boxes to those who call the 25,000 square-mile valley home, many of whom are homebound seniors living “off the grid,” said Corps Officer Major Tina Bottjen, noting that many are homebound due to fear of falling on ice and driving in the elements.
“Some of the people are in tears. They were not expecting to get their food because of how crazy the weather is, then they see us knock on their door.”
Oliver Maea
“Many older adults depend on The Salvation Army for their monthly food box, and we’re not going to let them down,” she added.
This means each Friday, Administrative Assistant Oliver Maea and volunteers like Bentley load up a van with the food boxes for seniors, and then deliver them to each recipient’s house. Maea, a self proclaimed “wild child” because he “likes driving in the snow,” said sometimes the effort takes all day due to the size of the valley and the fact some recipients reside in remote locations.
“Doesn’t matter—rain or shine, or in our case, the snow,” he said. “We’ll do our best.”
And he means it. With this year’s wintry weather, creativity is sometimes needed.
“We’ve had some places where we can’t do any deliveries if it’s really bad, but we have taken food boxes on a sled to peoples houses in three feet of snow,” Bentley said.
Other times, it’s taken AWD vehicles and shovels to get to seniors’ doors. And dodging moose and other wildlife.
“Some of the people are in tears,” Maea said. “They were not expecting to get their food because of how crazy the weather is, then they see us knock on their door.”
Consistency with the deliveries is something the corps strives for, Bottjen said, adding sometimes the elements are such that it becomes unsafe to venture out, like in blizzards.
“There have been times we have had to reschedule because of the weather…They’ll reschedule for the next day,” she said, noting the importance of the meals to the recipients. “It’s definitely a blessing for them and they definitely miss it.”
Inside the box are items such as cereal, shelf-stable milk, cheese, meat, bread, produce, juice, pasta, rice, canned fruit and fresh vegetables. Bottjen said due to having smaller appetites, many seniors are able to make it through the month with the items.
Maea said the team makes about 30 deliveries to homes three times a month with another distribution held in house at the corps building. The food deliveries are broken into three sections to ensure coverage of the valley: Palmer, Sutton and Wasilla.
A bonus? The crews will also shovel seniors’ walkways and driveways, if needed.
“A lot of times with them being an elder, they have difficulty shoveling,” Bottjen said. “They’re usually on social security or they’re on a fixed income, so they’re not able to afford to have someone come and clear their driveways.”
She added that plowed sidewalks make it possible for others, like medical professionals, to get through—especially in emergency situations.
“The food pantry doesn’t shut down when the weather is bad,” Bentley said. “The only time we shut down is if it’s really, really bad weather and we can’t get out. We’re here to help the people.”
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