WE ARE OPEN, COME JOIN US FOR LUNCH AND FUN.
Hello everyone!!! Our annual meeting is coming up on Saturday, December 14th. We need your input, so join us to take care of a little business. Members get to vote on business. First annual meeting in a long time, please come over.
Guess what??? Then we are going to PARTY!!! These parties are family friendly, so bring the kids and grand-kids for food and fun. Be sure you come over and don’t miss out!!! Check the flyer below.
Fairbanks Senior Center JOINS IN A SPECIAL Year-end Giving Campaign by ending the wait in Fairbanks, Alaska
Support will help End the wait of senior hunger and isolation in Fairbanks NOW!
[Fairbanks, Alaska] (November 11th, 2024) – This year, the Fairbanks Senior Center’s Meals on Wheels program experienced a $82,000 reduction in funding. That is 11,714 meals which equals 45 seniors we will have to reduce in serving. Those 45 seniors will not be able to receive hot meals and wellness checks. As a result, this forces your Fairbanks Meals on Wheels program to create a waiting list for seniors to receive a delivered hot meal.
Currently, our Meals on Wheels program has a 50-person wait list. For far too long, the pressing needs of our senior population have been underfunded and continues to grow, leaving our Pioneers waiting for nutritious meals and human connection.
“Now more than ever, Meals on Wheels plays a crucial role in protecting our local seniors. Meals on Wheels delivers a meal with a friendly smile, a wellness check that directly addresses senior hunger and helps support your local neighbor, loved one, and family member, who need some assistance to live safely at home” states Darlene Supplee, Executive Director of the Fairbanks Senior Center.
Let’s END THE WAIT now! Let’s work together to champion senior health and well being, and to scale services for our senior community to address one of the greatest needs. Help the mission of our Fairbanks Meals on Wheels program and get to our bold goal of $200,000 to END THE WAIT.
The Fairbanks Senior Center’s campaign will include various activities throughout the month of November going into December, including a comprehensive social media and traditional media campaign, and partnerships with a multitude of local businesses and organizations.
For more information on how you can volunteer, contribute, or speak out for the seniors in Fairbanks during this Year-End Giving season, visit fairbanksseniorcenter.org. Together, we can help our seniors within the community by ENDING THE WAIT!
About our Meals on Wheels program:
For over 50 years our Meals on Wheels program has been in service throughout the Fairbanks North Star Borough. Back in June, we were so excited to celebrate our 50 years at the Fairbanks Senior Center’s big “Grand Re-Opening”. Everyone who was patiently waiting for the doors to open, came with the biggest smiles. It was a successful event with over 400 people who showed up to celebrate with us to enjoy all the food, music, laughter, and memories that they shared from the good old days. It was a marvelous celebration! We couldn’t have made it possible without our community’s support and dedication. So many wonderful people made the building expansion happen. Thank you to all those who were involved in the magic that was made possible.
January, 1973, the Fairbanks Senior Center established the first Meals on Wheels program in the Interior of Alaska. Since the beginning, the Center has delivered thousands of meals to our home-bound seniors throughout the Interior. In FY2024, between our home-delivered meals, and our drive-up congregate lunches, we delivered over 76,000 smiles! In order to sustain our senior growth population that is coming to a roar, we are needing your help to ensure that no senior goes hungry. Help us celebrate our elders, and 51 years of service this holiday season by supporting our elders’ passions and desires to age at home!
2024 Schedule of Year-End Giving Events:
- November 11th (Happy Veteran’s Day! Thank you for your service!) –– December 31st, 2024 Year-End Giving Campaign: End the Wait for the Fairbanks Meals on Wheels so senior ever goes hungry!
- November 28th & 29th – Happy Thanksgiving! (The Fairbanks Senior Center will be closed Thursday, November 28th and Friday, November 29th for the Thanksgiving holiday).
- December 3rd – & December 4th – National Cookie Day -– Help the Fairbanks Senior Center celebrate Giving Tuesday and National Cookie Day by gifting donations of produce (apples, bananas, and oranges, oh my!) and prepackaged cookies and desserts. All fruit and dessert donations will help bring big smiles to all of our 300 seniors we feed each day! And, right now, we cannot always include a cookie. The Fairbanks Senior Center is always accepting donations of prepackaged goodies for the Fairbanks Meals on Wheels’ home-bound seniors. Cookies from Costco, Safeway, or Fred Meyer’s are always the best! Mmm cookies, they make for a great dessert, and our home-bound seniors are always asking for them.
- December 14th – Fairbanks Senior Center Annual Meeting & Christmas Party 10:00 am to 2:00 pm – Your Opinion Matters! Join the Fairbanks Senior Center and the Board of Directors for the 2024 Annual Meeting starting at 10:00 am with Christmas Festivities beginning at 11:00 am and ending at 2:00 pm. All Members are encouraged to attend and families are welcomed!
- December 16th – Check on your Elderly Neighbor Week –– This is a heart-warming event where you can check on your neighbor and see how they are doing during this Holiday Season. You can either give your neighbor a call, or walk over with a little gift to brighten their day, and to bring a smile. Also, it’s a wonderful opportunity for you to think about being one of our Silver Squad Wellness Caller Volunteers for our home-bound seniors in the community. If you are interested in becoming a volunteer, please reach out to the Center’s Volunteer Coordinator, Ashley at (907) 452-2563. Ashley would love to discuss this caring volunteer opportunity with you.
- December 25th & 26th – Merry Christmas! (the Fairbanks Senior Center will be closed Monday, December 25th and Tuesday, December 26th for the Christmas holiday).
- December 31st – New Year’s Eve – Happy New Year! We are ending the Year-End Giving Campaign on New Year’s Eve with a celebration of thanks. We hope you have fun, be safe, and may the new year ahead be filled with exciting adventures and good fortunes.
Directors Comments: 
When we say “It Takes a Village,” we think of all the amazing things this community has done to make sure that the Fairbanks Meals on Wheels program stays sustainable. The partnership with our community consists of volunteers who deliver meals daily to our clients, volunteers who bag cookies for our meals, and those who support our mission through donations to assure no senior goes hungry.
Alaska has the fastest growing senior population of all the states at 63%. These amazing Pioneers have built the wonderful community we call home. In the FNSB, our 80 and older cohort is currently 1,800 and will grow to over 5,000 by 2030, which is a 211% increase. Your Fairbanks Senior Center is actively solidifying imperative base services to help our beloved Pioneers remain living at home. The Fairbanks Senior Center calls this an “Aging in Place Movement” which consists of home modification, wellness checks, home-delivered and congregate meals, socialization, exercise and educational classes, homemaker services, and connection to programs that enhance financial security.
The Center has built a “Veteran Direct Program” which is now actively running. The focus of this new program is to help Veterans with long-term care needs to remain in their own homes. The Veteran Direct Program is designed to empower and support
qualifying Veterans to hire, train, and supervise their own choice of care attendant. For more information – contact Lisa Mackey at 907-457-1646.
We are thrilled to announce we received an additional year of a Pet Grant gifted by Meals on Wheels America Loves Pets Regional Cohort Grant Awards Program. The funding is $12,500 and is limited to financial assistance of $300 for pets. Loving companions are super important and we are honored to help assist Seniors with a vet visit for their furry loved one. Contact the office at 907-452-1735 to start the intake process. We will need some demographics to be enrolled. You will pick a vet of your choice. Call for more details.
Thank you for visiting our web page and your interest in our senior community. It is an honor to help the Pioneers who were essential in building our Golden Heart City!
Feel free to contact me any time about how you can directly impact a senior’s life.
Darlene Supplee Executive Director 907-452-1735
Hello everyone!!! Our annual meeting is coming up on Saturday December 14th. We need your input, so join us to take care of a little business. Members get to vote on business. First annual meeting in a long time, please come over.
THANK YOU FOR THE SUPPORT
Thank you #kinrossfortknox for your outstanding support of our mission. Your beautiful contribution will ensure seniors enjoy the comforts of the Fairbanks Senior Center once the building expansion is complete. We are looking forward to that “Grand Opening”, and cannot wait to send you that invite. Right now it’s an inspiration that you are helping us make it a reality. THANK YOU!
Thank you Usibelli Foundation for your incredible support of our mission. Your wonderful gift will ensure seniors enjoy the comforts of the Fairbanks Senior Center once the building expansion is complete. We are excited to share the moment when we have that “Grand Opening”, and cannot wait to send you that invite. THANK YOU!
Proud to be a United Way of the Tanana Valley agency.
WE MAY BE APART, BUT WE’RE IN THIS TOGETHER
Here are some reminders and updates. Please read them carefully.
We can get through this together!!
Not “Stuck at Home,” but “SAFE AT HOME”
