Help Rural Alaska
After seeing this article on CNN.com about people in rural Alaska in danger of starving to death, I was aghast.
So I did the one thing I could--I asked my friend, Mel, who lived the past few years in Bethel, AK, as to what could be done to help.
This is her response:
1. Write to the legislature and recommend that they find a way around the financial issue that makes it impossible to declare an emergency.
2. Write to Sarah Palin- ditto above.
3. There is no hard and fast social network out there. That is where H*** and I were, and we know it very well. There is no "salvation army" or "second harvest" on the Yukon Kuskokwim Delta - they only operate where there are roads -the alaska food bank they mention is based in- and basically supplies Anchorage and that area - again on the roads.
The problem with the Y-K delta is that it is two mountain ranges away from EVERYTHING. And that means that any relief has to be flown in. That means that charity organizations cannot effectively help out there - by the time that they get the supplies air freighted out - there is no money left for the supplies. If they HAVE the supplies - they need to find someone willing to take them out. At this time of year. small planes, and the pilots who would be most likely to offer humanitarian aid are not able to fly the Bethel run most days. During the winter- the Bethel route is basically "jets only" - and they are corporate. You could try raising awareness and campaigning for Alaska Air line, Yute Air, ERA Aviation, Grant Aviation and Hageland Air to offer cargo space for relief food items - those are the major carriers that center in Bethel - which is the hub for the villages. Lindon Air Cargo and Everts air are cargo only carriers that operate in and out of Bethel.
Someone needs to take a look at the fuel situation. That fuel was purchased back in the summer and put on barges to make the ocean trip from Seattle to the YK Delta. That was when gas prices were sky high. Now down here in the 48's gas prices are a LOT lower...but up there, they are locked in to the summer purchase price. THAT is something the legislature could do - subsidize the fuel costs. I know that one company does offer 100 free gallons each year to Delta residents- maybe others can be convinced to do so.
The Major connector of the area is the Yukon Kuskokwim Health Corporation. They have the main hospital in Bethel - but have clinics in every village. They do as much social work as medical treatment. Possibly someone in their outreach departments could offer you specific ways you can do something.
The villages are also connected through the churches. LDS is a huge presence, as is the Catholic Church. Each of those will have central administration offices in Anchorage.
The Lower Kuskokwim School District controls the schools in Bethel and the villages. They also do social work efforts. Possibly someone in that operation will have ideas.
The residents of the Y-K Delta are primarily Yu'pik. They don't have the huge representation that the Athabascan and Tglingit tribes do. But there are local organizations - Association of Village Council Presidents, Bethel Native Coporation and Calista Corp. They all have main offices in Bethel as well.
There is something called ONC. The first word is something in Yu'pik, then Native Council.
You could contact KYUK - the one and only radio station, or Delta Discovery and Tundra Drums- the two weekly newspapers in Bethel. They might have reporters up on the situation who would have ideas.
I remember people saying last summer that the fishing was off. Many villagers earn their winter money by commercial fishing on the days when that is permitted. But this past year, the boats were not coming in full. There are only 10-12 days when the commercial fishing is permitted - so if they don't catch literally tons on those days- their winter funds are diminished.
Hunting has the same problem - the moose and caribou that are traditionally the main source of winter meat are some distance from the villages. Without gas - the natives can't get to where the herds are to hunt.
Source
living in New Jersey and New York, the idea of not having enough to eat is not nearly as prevelant as to whether I should go to Whole Foods (ich), Trader Joe's or Shoprite (yay!) The idea that Americans could be in danger of starving upsets me on a tremendous scale. Obama's got other issues to take care of right now--so perhaps we can do something about this.
So I did the one thing I could--I asked my friend, Mel, who lived the past few years in Bethel, AK, as to what could be done to help.
This is her response:
1. Write to the legislature and recommend that they find a way around the financial issue that makes it impossible to declare an emergency.
2. Write to Sarah Palin- ditto above.
3. There is no hard and fast social network out there. That is where H*** and I were, and we know it very well. There is no "salvation army" or "second harvest" on the Yukon Kuskokwim Delta - they only operate where there are roads -the alaska food bank they mention is based in- and basically supplies Anchorage and that area - again on the roads.
The problem with the Y-K delta is that it is two mountain ranges away from EVERYTHING. And that means that any relief has to be flown in. That means that charity organizations cannot effectively help out there - by the time that they get the supplies air freighted out - there is no money left for the supplies. If they HAVE the supplies - they need to find someone willing to take them out. At this time of year. small planes, and the pilots who would be most likely to offer humanitarian aid are not able to fly the Bethel run most days. During the winter- the Bethel route is basically "jets only" - and they are corporate. You could try raising awareness and campaigning for Alaska Air line, Yute Air, ERA Aviation, Grant Aviation and Hageland Air to offer cargo space for relief food items - those are the major carriers that center in Bethel - which is the hub for the villages. Lindon Air Cargo and Everts air are cargo only carriers that operate in and out of Bethel.
Someone needs to take a look at the fuel situation. That fuel was purchased back in the summer and put on barges to make the ocean trip from Seattle to the YK Delta. That was when gas prices were sky high. Now down here in the 48's gas prices are a LOT lower...but up there, they are locked in to the summer purchase price. THAT is something the legislature could do - subsidize the fuel costs. I know that one company does offer 100 free gallons each year to Delta residents- maybe others can be convinced to do so.
The Major connector of the area is the Yukon Kuskokwim Health Corporation. They have the main hospital in Bethel - but have clinics in every village. They do as much social work as medical treatment. Possibly someone in their outreach departments could offer you specific ways you can do something.
The villages are also connected through the churches. LDS is a huge presence, as is the Catholic Church. Each of those will have central administration offices in Anchorage.
The Lower Kuskokwim School District controls the schools in Bethel and the villages. They also do social work efforts. Possibly someone in that operation will have ideas.
The residents of the Y-K Delta are primarily Yu'pik. They don't have the huge representation that the Athabascan and Tglingit tribes do. But there are local organizations - Association of Village Council Presidents, Bethel Native Coporation and Calista Corp. They all have main offices in Bethel as well.
There is something called ONC. The first word is something in Yu'pik, then Native Council.
You could contact KYUK - the one and only radio station, or Delta Discovery and Tundra Drums- the two weekly newspapers in Bethel. They might have reporters up on the situation who would have ideas.
I remember people saying last summer that the fishing was off. Many villagers earn their winter money by commercial fishing on the days when that is permitted. But this past year, the boats were not coming in full. There are only 10-12 days when the commercial fishing is permitted - so if they don't catch literally tons on those days- their winter funds are diminished.
Hunting has the same problem - the moose and caribou that are traditionally the main source of winter meat are some distance from the villages. Without gas - the natives can't get to where the herds are to hunt.
Source
living in New Jersey and New York, the idea of not having enough to eat is not nearly as prevelant as to whether I should go to Whole Foods (ich), Trader Joe's or Shoprite (yay!) The idea that Americans could be in danger of starving upsets me on a tremendous scale. Obama's got other issues to take care of right now--so perhaps we can do something about this.