Strykers make huge food bank donation
Published Friday, March 28, 2008
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The Fairbanks Community Food Bank rarely gets donations like it did on Thursday.
Two dozen men from Bravo Company, 15th Infantry of the Stryker Brigade Combat Team from Fort Wainwright rolled into the food bank’s parking lot just after noon in one of the company’s eight-wheeled armored Stryker vehicles. The Stryker was the middle vehicle in a convoy led by a Humvee and had a large Army truck picking up the rear.
Their cargo: 500 pounds of food donated by Fort Wainwright soldiers and their families over the past week and a half.
“It’s just our attempt to show the community our appreciation,” 1st Lt. Brandon McNaughton said. “They treat us well.”
There were a few legal hurdles the company had to go through to get the Stryker on public roads, which is why it was accompanied by the other vehicles and sported extra lights and a large yellow and black “caution” banner.
Volunteers emptied out of the food bank to see the Stryker and watch troops unload their haul.
“I feel like we’re under assault,” joked one man.
“We’ve had canned food drives before, but usually they’re focused on the canned food, not the drive,” said Samantha Kirstein, the executive director of the food bank.
Soldiers in full gear spent the lunch hour letting volunteers sit in the Stryker and explaining how it works, telling them that driving it isn’t that much different from driving a big truck.
Daniel Byrd, a food bank volunteer, said that he was considering joining the military but wasn’t sure which branch would be best for him. Touring the Stryker gave him a better idea of what the Army is all about, he said.
He was also surprised by its roominess.
“I know guys who are serving and they say it’s tight in there, but I didn’t see that,” he said.
Contact staff writer Chris Freiberg at 459-7545.
Community Discussion
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Kudos to the Soldiers and leaders of the 1-5 Infantry Battalion. This exemplifies why the community of Fairbanks and Ft Wainwright are tightly intertwined in serving each other.
Oh I am so humbled and thankful for our amry guy n gals!!
Way to go!!
This is just one of many things our Soldiers/Airman do for our Communities, local area.
Good job guys and gals! Thankfully, I've never had to rely on the food bank, but I know plenty of others who have. It is a wonderful community resource!
Thanks!
We all know what military pay really means, you have reminded me of something my momma said when trying to play word games around saying thanks 'your kindness will not go unpunished'. Be the miracle.
thats great that people are donating to the food bank, but what I received from there was curious. I used a wooden coin yesterday to get a free bag of food. In it was a bunch of black and rotten bananas, a mini pack of gatorage powder, an expired Hostess lemon pie, 3 Capri Sun drinks, a can of pork and beans, a can of green beans, a loaf of french bread, a half a loaf of unknown bread (rotten, threw it away), a can of tuna, and a top ramen soup. 2 months ago, I used a wooden coin and got 3 candy canes, 2 black bananas, 4 jars of baby food, a box of baby cereal, a can of pineapple, 2 top ramens, a gallon of chocolate milk (expired, had to throw out, soured), a milky way bar, a package of hard (supposed to be soft) dinner rolls, a broken and terrible tasting cherry pie. Beggars cant be choosers, but I was sorely disappointed in what I got. My question is, when you donate good food, who gets it? It wasnt me.
Good work brothers.
Well, I received several food boxes this week, and they contained yellow bananas, quite an assortment of still-good vegetables and fruit, tuna, hot dogs, lunch meat, fresh milk of several varieties, a huge bag of grapes, fresh bear claws and a cinnamon roll, a nice assortment of canned and packaged goods (one box was crushed, but the contents were still OK), yogurt, orange juice, cookie mix, biscuits, cottage cheese, sour cream, peanut butter, and many other perfectly useable items.
The wooden nickle bags are supposed to be a day's food, and they include a gallon of milk. By the way, milk is normally good for weeks after the expiration date, and expecially so at the food bank, because they keep it frozen. By nature, the wooden nickle bags have less perishable items because they are designed to sit on the desk waiting to be pickled up.
By the way, honeyhi, bread does not rot. The food that you imply was unuseable sounds perfectly good to me. A crumbled pie is just as good as a non-crumbled pie, unless you expect to serve it to guests.
Stores donate their unsold baked goods and produce to the food bank. If you want the best, expect to pay for it. You might also learn how to make banana bread. That's what most folks used overripe bananas for.
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