Capital city charities end holiday season in the black
Last-minute donations help groups meet their goals
Despite a slow beginning, charities in Juneau had a successful holiday season this year thanks to a last-minute surge in donations.
"Our kettles were up just a little bit (compared to last year), and our mail appeal looks like it is going to be up a bit as well," said Salvation Army Maj. Larry Fankhauser. "In that last week people really started coming through."
During the holiday season the Salvation Army provided food baskets and Christmas gifts to needy children through the Angel Tree program. The Salvation Army still is looking for canned goods in anticipation of an increase in the need for food during the winter and early spring, when people are "recovering from Christmas," Fankhauser said.
The week before Christmas the Glory Hole still needed 150 turkeys. But in the days before the annual Christmas party at the shelter and dining hall, turkeys came pouring in along with dozens of Christmas gifts.
"We didn't do too bad at the Glory Hole. There was plenty of turkey and plenty of people to eat it," said Albert Lord, night cook and manager.
There are still Christmas gifts at the Glory Hole for children who need them, Lord said.
Like the Salvation Army, the Glory Hole is looking for food donations to distribute in monthly food boxes. The Christmas distribution "pretty well wiped us out," Lord said.
In early December, charity workers at St. Vincent de Paul were worried about the organization's Adopt-a-Family program, in which donors sponsor families and give food and gifts. By the second week of December, they stopped signing up needy families because of a dearth of sponsors. Then the sponsor families started to call.
Aid Administrator Joe Hubert attributes the surge in sponsors to local media organizations that publicized St. Vincent de Paul's need.
"We did wonderfully well after all the great publicity," Hubert said, adding that the group ended up helping about 100 more families than last year.
St. Vincent de Paul was able to provide 216 food baskets for families and foster care houses, he said.
Michelle Shaw, who coordinated the Great Alaska Toy Drive, co-sponsored by KSUP/KINY and the Alaska Army National Guard, said that though it started slow, the drive reached its goal, collecting 1,200 toys.
"We are very happy and very appreciative," Shaw said. "Juneau really came through, as usual."