The Homer High School commons and theater halls on Saturday morning were filled with food and gift boxes ready to be loaded and delivered to families in the Homer and Anchor Point areas.
The effort was part of Share the Spirit, a longtime annual event that provides food and gifts to area residents. Share the Spirit gift cards were available to pick up from Ulmer’s Drug and Hardware, the Kachemak Gear Shed, Captain’s Toy Chest, Homer’s Jeans and the Homer Book Store. It also includes an annual spaghetti feed hosted by the Homer Elks Club. This year the spaghetti feed took place on Dec. 13. Simple monetary donations were also accepted by mail. Another component of the event is Adopt-a-Family where food and gifts are provided to an entire household.
The program this year provided a total of 250 baskets to 797 people, including 286 children’s gifts. A “basket” is a large load: often two or more full grocery cart-sized boxes of Christmas food supplies.
More than 25 volunteers were present in the commons area of the school around 11 a.m. Saturday loading up shopping carts donated by Safeway and delivering them to volunteers, who coordinated the delivery system in the set shop.
High school students Ella Gustafson and Mally Im were in charge of the gift-wrapping station. Rick Cline loaded and coordinated the cart deliveries and entire scene was overseen by longtime event volunteer Shari Daugherty.
Daugherty noted an especially well-coordinated effort from the Anchor Point Food Pantry. The pantry is not yet able to offer an open space for people receiving baskets.
“So, the volunteers at the organization have to deliver every box to clients in the parking lot. It is a lot of work,” she said. “They really deserve some recognition.”
The Anchor Point nonprofit organization is directed by Missy Martin, who receives quite a bit of support from her “right-hand gal, Sherry Blood,” Daugherty said.
Other key volunteers for Homer’s Share the Spirit include Jayne Locklar, Jonathan Adams, Jean Adams, Kelly Glidden, Sonja Franciscone, Hadley Glidden and Emmy Olsen-Drye. Many volunteers have been involved for multiple years.
