Photo: kajakiki / E+ / Getty Images
A couple of years ago, after hearing about how her new neighbors were planning on splitting a single squirrel for Thanksgiving dinner, Esther Sanderlin, a pilot living in rural Alaska, decided to deliver turkeys to off-grid residents near Skwentna and West Susitna Valley. Remembering from her childhood how her family had occasionally received air-dropped turkeys after the roads had frozen over, Sanderlin decided to do her own turkey airdrop to spread holiday cheer.
This year, in the lead up to Thanksgiving, Sanderlin airdropped between 30 and 40 frozen turkeys, making sure that her neighbors had plenty to eat for the holiday. Because the turkeys are frozen and they’d be landing in the soft snow, no parachutes were necessary. Now in its third year, the pilot shares that she hopes to turn the effort into a nonprofit and expand it to help more people in rural Alaska.
Sanderlin coordinates and shares her operation through the Facebook page Alaska Turkey Bomb. Her efforts, supported by donations she collects through Paypal, have not only provided meals for dozens of families, but have also brought residents of remote Alaskan communities closer during the holiday season.