By Allison Sayer

TNews Staffwriter

The Girdwood Food Pantry could have had a tough year in 2025. According to figures provided by director Terry Sherwood, the Food Pantry has seen the highest demand for food since 2020.

Meanwhile, deliveries of non-perishable foods from the Federal Emergency Food Assistance Program (TEFAP), which normally provides about one quarter of Girdwood Food Pantry food, have been “short.” Shelves at the Food Bank of Alaska Anchorage location, where Girdwood Food Pantry volunteers have often collected food, have been “empty.”

Even with these challenges, an increase in local donations enabled the Food Pantry to serve everyone who came through the door this year. “Girdwood residents have been generous,” said Sherwood, “It’s neighbors helping neighbors.”

In 2025, as of December 16, the Girdwood Food Pantry provided approximately 3370 food services. That figure comprises both one-time visitors and the sum of multiple visits by the same individual. Sherwood estimates 332 unique people from 195 households were served in 2025, as of December 16.

The 2025 figure is a 38% increase from 2024, during which 2442 individual services were provided.

Services include bimonthly deliveries to 28 families in Whittier and non-perishable food boxes for 48 Alyeska Resort employees.  

In a phone interview, Sherwood stated that not only were more people seeking food, but there seemed to be more anxiety about whether it would be available. “For the first time ever in Food Pantry history, we’ve had a line at the door before we’ve opened. That’s never happened before. People are starting to worry and get here early.”

Recently, the State of Alaska provided some additional funding to the Food Bank of Alaska. This provided statewide pantrieswith additional non-perishable food. This week, food from the Girdwood School canned goods drive lined pantry shelves. Other local agencies and individuals have held drives, contributed money, and donated food.

Read the entire story at the link below:

https://www.turnagainnews.org/articles/food-pantry-met-increased-need-in-2025-local-help-was-key

By Chase Berenson

TNews Staffwriter

Despite temperatures below 0oF, the 2025 Solstice Ski organized by the Girdwood Nordic Ski Club brought a large crowd of Girdwood residents out to the trail kiosk on the 5K trail loop.  This annual celebration of the winter and of the return to the sun brings Girdwood residents out into the night to celebrate together.

 To help battle the darkness of winter’s longest night, the Girdwood Nordic Ski Club installed over 2,500 lights along the 2K trail and the trail kiosk, which is the home of the party for the evening.  At the epicenter of the Solstice gathering at the kiosk, participants found the bonfire plus hot chocolate and soup donated by The Bake Shop to keep everyone warm inside and out.  This was also where the music was playing, and most participants were gathered to talk and spend time together commemorating the 5K trail network and celebrating the return of the sunlight that comes after Winter Solstice.

 It wouldn’t be a Nordic Ski Club event without Nordic skiing, and most participants took some time to ski at least one lap of the lit trails.  Prior to the event, twenty GSNC volunteers spent approximately a week getting the lights ready and positioned on the course.  The hard work paid off, as the colorful and flashing lights augmented the experience.  Some of the lights moved constantly around the top of the trees, illuminating the foliage and creating tricks of the eye with the stars of the clear night.  Meanwhile other lights danced across the trail’s surface itself.  Girdwood resident and event participant Amanda Tuttle described the last segment of trail as like, “skiing on Rainbow Road from Mario Kart” while passing through the multicolor, flashing lights.  

 Deb Essex, the President of the Girdwood Nordic Ski Club, said that the Solstice Ski, “is definitely our biggest event” and is something they always look forward to.  The event is free for participants, but even without a financial draw Essex says, “it is a benefit to the Club by celebrating where we live andcelebrating the only uplands winter trail loop in Glacier Valley.”  

Read the entire story at the link below:

https://www.turnagainnews.org/articles/girdwood-celebrates-solstice-on-the-ski-trails

By Allison Sayer

TNews Staffwriter

 Longtime Girdwood resident Jackie Collins, former resident Mereidi Liebner, and I, a Girdwood moonlighter, met up at the Wyndham Garden Anchorage Airport Hotel on November 18 to help serve meals to people who were forced to evacuate their homes in Western Alaska.

 The Wyndham Hotel is one of the hotels across the city housing people whose homes were destroyed by Ex-Typhoon Halong. Bean’s Cafe, already tirelessly serving Anchorage’s homeless population, has answered the call to provide hot meals for hundreds of people living in hotel rooms.

 Volunteering was extremely easy, and I’m including some tips in this article in case others would like to volunteer in the future.

 We signed up to volunteer using the portal on the Bean’s Cafe website: https://beanscafe.org/volunteer/. Bean’s Cafe discourages people from “just showing up,” so registering is the way to go. They accept volunteers 16 and older, but 16 and 17-year-olds need an adult supervisor. There are many locations and time slots throughout the city, so it’s important to communicate clearly with people you’re hoping to volunteer with about where and when you want to go.

 We washed our hands, donned plastic aprons, gloves, and head coverings, and got to know our supervisor. Hot tip: You can escape a hairnet if you pull up your hair and wear a beanie. Unless you have a long beard.

 The serving trays were already set up when we arrived, with a large warmer holding back ups. Our job was to make plates or to-go boxes and to help people bag up snacks. In addition to hot meals, guests were encouraged to take back snacks including crackers and fruit. The fresh fruit was definitely a hit.

 We’ve all had the experience of showing up to volunteer somewhere, only to find ourselves hunting down some tool for half our shift.

This was absolutely not the case here. Serving utensils, back up fuel for the chafing dishes, bags, boxes, etc. were all available and easy to find.

 Things were fairly slow. Sometimes twenty minutes would go by without a customer. Then one or two people would come in, each requesting a number of meals for their families.

Read the entire story at the link below:

https://www.turnagainnews.org/articles/girdwood-ladies-help-serve-storm-evacuees-and-you-can-too