Fueling the ‘world’s best-trained workforce’: ASYMCA feeds military families free of charge

ANCHORAGE, Alaska (KTUU) - The Armed Services YMCA of Alaska Marketplace Food Assistance Program is fueling service members and their families across the Last Frontier, free of charge.

“If we can help offset budgets and they’re able to shop here and get what they need and then take that money that they would have spent and apply it somewhere else, then that’s really what it’s for,” ASYMCA of Alaska Executive Director Sarah Riffer said. “It’s just another way to help our Alaska-based military community feel welcomed in the state, feel appreciated in our state, and to make sure that they have what they need in order to stay mission-focused.”

The ASYMCA of Alaska operates Marketplaces on JBER, Fort Wainwright, and Eielson Air Force Base. They provide groceries, personal care products, and other household goods to service members and their families.

Riffer explained that the marketplace aims to strengthen the military community as a whole.

“We know that strong communities start with strong families, and we know from that we’ll have strong kids and so on,” she explained. “[This program] is just a really easy thing for us to provide and to offer to help with that ultimate goal of having a really strong military community.”

The ASYMCA of Alaska recently received a $15,000 grant from the Kroger Company Zero Hunger | Zero Waste Foundation and Fred Meyer to continue providing essential goods at its three marketplace installations.

Donations like these are what keep the marketplaces operational, Riffer said, helping the nonprofit live up to its mission of providing services to ensure service members have “great Alaskan experiences.”

“I think it’s our job as a community to make sure that we are able to provide every piece of support that our military members need while they’re stationed here,” Riffer explained, adding that all active-duty and reserve service members can receive support from the ASYMCA of Alaska, no matter where they are located in the state.

“We are a moment’s notice away,” she said. “All they have to do is reach out.”

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