More than two dozen entrepreneurs with a connection to Alaska's food chain supplies packed dozens of bags for upcoming holiday distribution with 4 pounds of Alaska-grown potatoes donated from Matanuska Valley crops.

Such events are a great fit for members of GFC-Alaska LLC, which brings together experienced and educated international, national, regional and local business professionals and teams to share ideas and improve supply chain economics for those producing food products in Alaska, and distributing them statewide and beyond.

Robin Richardson, member manager of Global Food Collaborative, said she has had a longtime interest in the Food Bank of Alaska and is impressed with the efforts of Susannah Morgan, executive director, and Reggie Buchanan, food solicitor.

“They work very hard and they are 100 percent committed to their mission,” Richardson said.

With so many Alaskans in need this holiday season, Richardson asked GFC members to hold their quarterly get-together - which usually rotates from one member company to another - at the food bank's warehouse in Anchorage, donating an hour or two of their time to help bag potatoes.

The occasion offered members time to socialize with each other informally, catch up on what's happening with their endeavors, and learn about the food bank.

“I just keep herding them together so they get to know each other and get together when they have issues, because they are the food supply chain for Alaska,” she said.

The Food Bank of Alaska and GFC are a great fit, Richardson said. “We work together because they are a food distributor, have issues with transportation inbound and outbound (from Alaska), including time, temperatures and food safety.”

The food bank is also interested in certain types of food products that might be less than premium, giving producers another option for either a market or donation of product.

“They can either donate it or the food bank can actually pay for protein at a minimum price, and they will actually pay for processing of it, which turns out as a win-win situation for producers,” she said.

Livestock or seafood products, for example, that might otherwise go unused or sit in a freezer, an expense for producers, may be sold or donated to the food bank.

“Sometimes there is a benefit to a producer,” Richardson said. “They can write it off or the food bank has resources for packaging and transportation.”

One GFC member, Eagle Rock's Taste of Alaska, had a salmon blend product they were not ready to bring out on the market yet, so Richardson put Eagle Rock's owners in touch with the food bank.

“It helped Eagle Rock get their tasty, organic seafood product out of refrigeration and allowed the food bank to have a premium protein product,” she said.

This is all music to the ears of the food bank's chief executive, whose agency offers food assistance to some 83,000 people across Alaska.

“We're the wholesaler of the anti-hunger system,” said Morgan, as the GFC volunteers bagged potatoes.

Some 60 percent of the food distributed is donated, but another 40 percent is purchased, she said. “I just wrote a check for $100,000 for turkeys, and I'm 800 (turkeys) short,” Morgan said. That $100,000 check will get the food bank some 14,000 turkeys, mostly weighing 12 to 14 pounds.

“We haven't run out yet,” said Morgan. “We've had a steady stream of people bringing in turkeys and we are grateful for every one.”

The food bank is looking for more turkeys, plus all the fixings for Christmas dinner, including stuffing, cans of cranberries and vegetables, as well as roasting pans for turkeys.

Five sites set up around Anchorage will distribute the fixings for Christmas dinner, along with toys collected by the Salvation Army and the Marine Corps.

The need this year is much greater, Morgan said. The food bank saw an increased demand of 37 percent - 1,600 more families - at Thanksgiving, she said. “Nearly half of the people who go to the food pantries have jobs,” she said.

Meanwhile, Morgan said the food bank gets a huge amount of support from the business community.

“Target has been donating since before they opened, with non-perishable foods and other household goods,” she said. Target is also working with Morgan on connections to buy locally sourced products for sale in their stores.

Fred Meyer stores donate meat, bread, dairy products, canned foods and other grocery items, and Safeway has been a good purchasing partner, she said.

The food bank's President's Council includes representatives from the Anchorage School District, the Rasmuson Foundation, Preston, Gates & Ellis, the Alaska Legislature, Sen. Ted Stevens, Arlis Sturgulewski, ConocoPhillips, Totem Ocean Trailer Express, Alaska Furniture Manufacturers, Lynden Logistics, Northrim Bank, First National Bank Alaska and others.

The past year has been particularly challenging for the food bank, what with increased demand for its services.

“This year has taught us to be nimble, to keep searching for every opportunity to serve hungry Alaskans,” Morgan and board President Josie Harmon said in the food bank's annual report.

More information about Food Bank of Alaska is online at http://foodbankofalaska.org.