Lucy Robinson was pulled in many directions at Wrangell’s Community Center on Thanksgiving morning. On top of collecting donations for the landslide evacuees, the dedicated Wrangelite was in the midst of giving volunteers roles for preparing the Thanksgiving Community meal that was to be held in a few hours. But first, she took the volunteers down to the basement to bring food up and show landslide evacuees where supplies were, if they needed anything.
Listen to the story here
“We have a lot here and if people need things I would rather them come here and shop here versus go downtown,” she said. “So please think of us and spread the word. If you know other people that need things, tell them to come shop here first. This is what this is for.”
The donations that recently came from Petersburg significantly boosted the donation supply for all folks and animals who need it, which included bins of clothes, dog food, cat carriers, sockeye salmon, plus more.
Jamie Roberts, who evacuated with her family from their home, searched in the basement through the bins to grab critical items that they can use while away from their home.
“From what I can gather a lot of this came over from our friends and neighbors in Petersburg,” she said. They loaded up a boat and brought it our way, which is really helpful, because some of this stuff you can’t get in town. It’s not available. There’s lots of shirts and pants available, but try and find underwear from thrift stores.”
Through this tragedy, Roberts has felt gratitude for how her community came together to support everyone affected by the landslide.
“I just really want to say thanks to the community because we’ve had no shortage of people wanting to provide vehicles, lodging, food supplies,” she said.
Back upstairs in the gym, kids played on the bounce house that was set up and people of all ages, from single digits to decades older, dribbled the many basketballs on the court.
This year’s Thanksgiving might have looked different for many Wrangellites, but Robinson said she was somewhat surprised by what she heard the turnout for the community meal might look like.
“Initially I thought it was just going to be a couple of people and we would offer up the food that was donated over the past few days, but I’ve since heard that people are actually not going to have their Thanksgiving at their homes and they’re going to come and join us,” Robinson said. “I think people at this time just want to be together. In the face of tragedy it feels good to come together.”
Tammy Meisner, another volunteer who helped organize the Thanksgiving event, said that she and others set up a Facebook group called the Wrangell Strong Community Relief Group for people who need assistance or want to help.
They also opened accounts at the two local grocery stores and are taking inventory on people who want to donate their Alaskan Airlines miles.
Meissner said that although no one’s cooking food at the community center, Thanksgiving will look more like a potluck style.
“People donated turkeys and are cooking turkeys,” she said. “We’ve (she and her husband) decided not to do a personal Thanksgiving. We’re gonna do that at a different time. We want to be here.”
During the community Thanksgiving meal, kids watched a holiday movie in the room where desserts were placed. In the basketball court across the hall, people sat at rows of fold up tables. A variety of food lined the edge of the stage from left to right, which included the basic Thanksgiving food along with pizza, mac and cheese and other delicious offerings.
Music blared and at one point two local women danced to a holiday tune.
Rhonda Butler walked in, gathered food and sat down to talk. She came in from Juneau to assist with communication efforts for residents who are still out of service.
“I work with Central Council, Tlingit and Haida Indian tribes of Alaska,” she said. “I am the Emergency Operations specialist that the tribe has sent to Wrangle to support the Wrangell Cooperative Association, which is the local IRA.”
She was helping set up people with Starlink, the satellite system. She explained that she has a small generator that she plugs her satellite device in which is very beneficial for emergency responses in remote locations.
“They can at least check in with their families to assure them that they’re safe and communicate with the town and the Wrangell Police Department if they’re wanting to make the decision to come to town and relocate at the locations that are provided for sheltering here in town,” she said.
Butler mentioned that many people in the 75 homes on the other side of the landslide are tribal citizens. She’s thankful that she can assist them in whatever way they need.
“The long term effects of being isolated or having no access to go hunting as it’s hunting season. That’s sort of the only means of feeding our tribal citizens, refrigerators and freezers for the winter,” she said. “We have the tribal citizens that are out there, cut off from their families right now. So it’s really important to the tribe that we’re here in responding in whatever capacity that we’re capable of.”
While people slowly trickled out of the community center, another volunteer left to deliver food at the firehouse for all the first responders. Thanksgiving in Wrangell may haven’t gone originally as planned for many, but the community came together, as best they could, to share a warm meal, music and conversation.
