Breaking down barriers at the food pantry

How one board member turned volunteer and recipient is making a difference in Wrangell, Alaska.

BY CARAMIE PETROWSKY

When Scott Glaze joined The Salvation Army Wrangell (Alaska) Corps Advisory Board in 2015, shortly after moving to the island, he had two simple motivations: He wanted to meet residents in his new community and he wanted to help others. Little did he know that years later, he’d be the one both on the giving and receiving end of the help.

Eight years ago, Glaze left his home in North Carolina to visit his daughter and sonin-law in the tiny town of Wrangell, home to about 2,000 residents, according to the 2020 U.S. Census. The couple had just moved to the island months earlier. One sunny May morning during his visit, he was sitting at their dining room table alone, gazing at the choppy ocean waters.

“As I was admiring the view, a whale jumped out of the water in what seemed like their front yard,” he said. “I just couldn’t believe it.”

That sealed it. Glaze accepted a job working as the risk and compliance and safety officer for Wrangell Medical Center, a 22-bed critical access hospital and long-term care facility on the island.

During the pandemic, Glaze’s position was eliminated after steep revenue declines. With limited job opportunities on the island and a strong desire to stay, Glaze decided to semi-retire at age 60. He started a woodworking business and sells cutting boards, checkerboards, serving trays, 3D cabin puzzles and more that he makes from the red and yellow cedar wood milled locally.

Since 2021, Glaze and his wife, Debbie, who splits her time between Wrangell and the couple’s home in North Carolina, have volunteered at The Salvation Army’s food pantry, packing bags of food for residents who welcome the help.

“I was able to spend more time at The Salvation Army because I wasn’t working,” Glaze said, noting he began taking a bag of food home during this time as well.

“My income was reduced so I started get- ting a bag and it is such a blessing,” Glaze said. “A lot of people who normally wouldn’t go, they see me getting the help and they feel like, ‘Hey, he’s getting one, I can, too.’”

Food insecurity is one of the biggest issues facing the community. As such, when Lts. Jon and Rosanna Tollerud took over the Wrangell Corps in late 2019, they switched the pantry from a monthly to a weekly program.

The volunteers who run the pantry are crucial to its success, said Jon Tollerud, who estimates that the Glazes each contribute more than $3,500 in volunteer man hours a year, based on Alaska’s minimum wage. That saves the corps some $10,000 per year in employee wages— funds that can then be allocated in other ways to further the mission of The Salvation Army.

“Scott and Debbie are just wonderful volunteers, and their charisma and attitude are infectious not just to us, but our clients as well,” Tollerud said. “They always ensure that they take time to talk with every person and find out how their week is beginning or get up to date on the previous week’s big events…They have also shown many people how easy it is to partake of the offerings the pantry has and have helped break down the barriers some have for using such a service.”

Most weeks, the pantry serves anywhere from 20 to 30 families. Tollerud said the rising price of groceries has been challenging for the community.

“The price of getting goods and services here is hard to fathom, with eggs currently at $6-$8 per dozen and milk from $7-$9 per gallon,” Tollerud said. “This means our dollars don’t stretch as much as we would like.”

While the pantry doesn’t have enough space to allow people to shop, like in a client choice model, the corps does offer a selection system that lets people pick their items, including weekly specials, from a list. Volunteers also hand out frozen meat, milk and eggs when available.

“Typically, someone can visit the food pantry and leave with anywhere between $100-$250 a week in value from what is available,” Tollerud said. “Our volunteers continue to keep this system working and working well.” NFC

New Frontier Chronicle (NFC): What’s the significance of the return to the Cerritos Center?

Martin Hunt (MH): It's been four years since we had a large Commissioning event—a large gathering of the territory. The last time was in 2019…Now we are back at the Cerritos Center for the Performing Arts, which to many people around the territory is the Commissioning spiritual home, where people resonate with the Commissioning activities. We hope people will feel like it’s coming back to something comfortable, where they have great memories. So we’re excited to be back, and we hope to build on that energy and excitement for the whole weekend.

NFC: Will there be special guests this year?

MH: Yes, the guests are Lt. Colonels Bishow and Pamela Samhika. They’re Zimbabwean officers serving at International Headquarters (IHQ) in the Administration Department, in Training and Capability Development. He’s the Commencement speaker and will bring the Sunday morning sermon.

NFC: How will the events speak to the theme of “Reflect Joy”?

MH: We've taken the concept of what we can reflect as Christians. We want people to find joy at the Army; we want people to find joy in that service. But then we want them to take that and reflect it to others…The Saturday night program is called “Reflect Joy!: A Celebration.” It’s going to go through six different areas that we can reflect joy in. It’s going to feature a lot of music, a lot of praise and worship and creative arts in visual presentations. The Sunday morning meeting is our holiness meeting, but it's the cadets’ ordination and commissioning, so we're calling the meeting “Reflect Holiness.” That's the next step. The afternoon when the new lieutenants receive their appointments and we celebrate all of the long service and other wonderful things is called “Reflect Your Purpose.” We’re using the “reflect” theme, which comes out of the session name, Reflectors of Holiness.

NFC: What’s new this year?

MH: We have a couple of little things we’ve added. There’s a Friday night ice cream social immediately following the Future Officers’ Fellowship gathering…It's for anyone to attend. Saturday morning, Caring is hosting a breakfast event, “Make a Plan for Joy.”

Also new is participation of all the territorial music and arts groups: the Staff Band, Staff Songsters, Youth Band, Youth Chorus and Creative Arts Ensemble. The Youth Chorus and Youth Band will participate on Sunday as well, which is new, because we want those young people exposed to Commissioning and the excitement of becoming an officer.

NFC: What should people who are on the fence about attending know?

MH: People should not wait if they want a ticket. Because it’s not an Army venue, we have one ticket per seat. When all the tickets are gone, there are no more. The main sessions will also be livestreamed and the recordings will go on YouTube immediately.

NFC: Any closing thoughts?

MH: We may have been through a difficult period in history, but there’s so much to be joyful about. And there’s so much to celebrate as an organization, as a church and as fellow human beings. That’s what we want to emphasize.

I want people who come to the event to sense the excitement that the Army is still moving forward and it’s still got energy, still got life, still got lots of things to offer. We can offer a place to belong, a place to serve and a place to find joy. I want us to leave the Commissioning weekend more energized to communicate that with our community. NFC