Alaska Waste Employees Get in the Christmas Spirit with Bike Building
Christmas Spirit is Alive and Well at Alaska Waste!
Alaska Waste employees got in the Christmas spirit on a Saturday afternoon this month to build bikes in their truck shop to support The Salvation Army’s Anchorage Neighborhood GIFT program. The event provides gifts for children 0-14 years old and food for families who are struggling financially during the holidays. Last year, The Anchorage Neighborhood Gift program served over 3,100 families and provided over 12,500 gifts to kids in need. This year, the program organizers expect roughly 4,000 families to participate.
Alaska Waste employees started with a goal of providing 20 bikes to donate. After fundraising through split the pots, raffles and employee donation matches from Waste Connections, employees completely surpassed their goal to provide a special gift for underprivileged kids in Anchorage.
"Our employees really came out in force for our first annual bike build. We raised enough money to buy 77 bikes. That's 77 excited kids on Christmas day. We hope these bikes bring joy to Anchorage families this holiday," said Laurel Andrews, Alaska Waste Community Outreach Specialist.
"It was truly heartwarming to see Alaska Waste employees and volunteers show what the Christmas spirit is really about today," said Captain Peter Pemberton, The Salvation Army Alaska Divisional Secretary for Business. "The bikes donated are going to kids who may not have any other gifts on Christmas and to see something as special as a brand-new bicycle will be a Christmas to remember. We are so grateful to Alaska Waste and other Salvation Army supporters who really step up year-round to support community members in need."
The Salvation Army’s annual Anchorage Christmas distribution, Anchorage Neighborhood GIFT, took place December 17 & 18, 2019, at ChangePoint Church. Thank you to all our volunteers, sponsoring organizations and gift donors who made this event successful!