Fundraisers for the Sitka Local Foods Network

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Get a milk shake from Harry Race’s soda fountain in August and support the Sitka Local Foods Network

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HRsodaPrices6924544_origThe Harry Race Pharmacy soda fountain, aka Harry’s Soda Shop, will donate its tips in August to the Sitka Local Foods Network.

Next time you get a milk shake, ice cream sundae, bag of popcorn, or fountain drink at Harry Race, leave a tip in the jar and it will get to us. Each month the staff at Harry’s Soda Shop picks a local nonprofit organization to support by donating its tips, and this month the tips will be donated to the Sitka Local Foods Network.

We appreciate the support of White’s Inc./Harry Race Pharmacy in this promotion, especially since the company promotes shopping locally and is a big supporter of a variety of Sitka nonprofit organizations.

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• Experience the best of Sitka’s local food scene with our Sitka Sound Suppers fundraiser

SitkaSoundSuppersLogoEating local in Sitka can be an amazing experience. We have wide variety of high-quality seafood, including five types of salmon, halibut, blackcod, dozens of varieties of rockfish, ling cod, Alaska king crab, Dungeness crab, scallops, spot prawns, yum. There also is Sitka black-tailed deer and other wild game. And there’s nothing like the taste of fresh produce from the garden, and our berries are exquisite.

Now you can experience the best of Sitka’s local food scene withSitka Sound Suppers: A Chef-To-Table Experience, a fundraiser for the Sitka Local Foods Network.

Three Sitka chefs — Kathy Jones (Westmark/Dock Shack), Edith Johnson (Fly-In Fish Inn), and Jackie Barmoy (former owner of Loaves and Fishes in Seattle) — have volunteered their talents to prepare a totally local meal that will be brought to your Sitka home for you to enjoy.

  • Donate at the $500 level and you receive a local Sitka dinner for two people.
  • Donate at the $1,000 level and you receive a local Sitka dinner for four people.
  • Donate at the $2,000 level and you receive a local Sitka dinner for eight people.

We are planning on preparing just one special dinner at each donation level, so get in on the promotion early.

The Sitka Sound Suppers fundraiser launched on July 16 and ends after our final Sitka Farmers Market of the summer on Sept. 12. The winners of our meals will be connected to our chefs, so they can agree on a menu and date for the meal during the Fall 2015 harvest season (late September to November). All meals will be prepared and served in Sitka, Alaska. You can learn more about the Sitka Sound Suppers fundraiser by watching this video.

The funds raised by this promotion will help the Sitka Local Foods Network continue its work promoting local foods in Sitka and Southeast Alaska through the Sitka Farmers Market, St. Peter’s Fellowship Farm communal garden, and our education programs. As the organization has grown and matured, we’ve reached a point where we need to hire a part-time staff person to handle some of the daily duties of our organization. Your donations will go into a fund to help us eventually be able to hire that staff person.

Your support for the Sitka Local Foods Network is greatly appreciated. Thanks.

By the way, if you want to contribute to the Sitka Local Foods Network but not receive one of the Sitka Sound Suppers, you can go to our main fundraising page on Razoo.com (a fundraising/crowdfunding site for nonprofit organizations) and donate in any amount over $10 there. Your online donation is secure and tax-deductible (we have federal 501(c)(3) nonprofit status). Thanks again.

• Sitka Sound Suppers information flier (opens as PDF file)

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• Sitka Farmers Market makes 101 Best Farmers Markets in America 2015 list

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TheDailyMeal.com has ranked the Sitka Farmers Market on its 101 Best Farmers Markets in America 2015 list.

The Sitka Farmers Market ranks 99th in the national rankings. The Homer Farmers Market ranked 60th (although it was incorrectly listed as being from Arkansas) and was the only other Alaska market in the rankings.

#99 Sitka Farmers Market, Sitka, Alaska

Besides being a wonderful farmers market, the Sitka Market provides healthy eating education and entertainment for the community as a part of the Sitka Local Foods Network. The market is open Saturdays from July to September.

The Sitka Farmers Market will take place six times this summer, from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. on alternate Saturdays, July 4, July 18, Aug. 1, Aug. 15, Aug. 29, and Sept. 12, at the Alaska Native Brotherhood Founders Hall, 235 Katlian St. We offer a wide variety of locally grown produce, locally caught seafood, locally baked bread, and locally made arts and crafts. We also feature live music, and lots of family fun.

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• Sitka Local Foods Network seeks manager and assistant manager for 2015 Sitka Farmers Markets

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The Sitka Local Foods Network is looking for a manager and assistant manager to coordinate the 2015 Sitka Farmers Markets this summer. These are contract positions, and the manager and assistant manager (who reports to the manager) receive small compensation depending on experience for their work organizing the six scheduled farmers markets this summer.

SLFNGroupwLindaThis is the eighth year of operation for the Sitka Farmers Market, which features six markets from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. every other Saturday from July through September at the Alaska Native Brotherhood Founders Hall (this year’s market dates are July 4, 18, Aug. 1, 15, 29, and Sept. 12). The farmers markets feature booths from local farmers/gardeners, local fishermen, and artisans and craftspeople. These events are great Sitka gathering places, and we promote local foods and other local goods at the markets.

A detailed description of the market manager duties can be found at the link below. For more information or to submit applications, contact Maybelle Filler at 738-1982 or mocampo25@hotmail.com, or you can email the Sitka Local Foods Network Board of Directors at sitkalocalfoodsnetwork@gmail.com (please put “Sitka Farmers Market Manager” in the subject line). Applications should include a cover letter, resume, three recommendations, and they are due by 5 p.m. on Friday, March 6. The market manager of the Sitka Farmers Market reports to the Sitka Local Foods Network Board of Directors, and the assistant manager reports to the manager.

• Description of duties for market manager of the Sitka Farmers Market Manager (2015)

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• Baranof Island Brewing to host community night fundraiser April 30 for Sitka Local Foods Network

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BIBCOlogoSitka’s local brewery, Baranof Island Brewing Co. (BIBCO), will host a community night fundraiser for the Sitka Local Foods Network from 3-8 p.m. on Wednesday, April 30, at the brewery’s taproom (215 Smith St.).

BIBCO hosts community nights on Wednesdays for a variety of community nonprofit organizations and worthy causes (only one group per night). The brewery donates a portion of the day’s gross sales to the cause depending on the overall sales (up to $500 gets 10 percent, $501-$1,000 gets 15 percent, and $1,001 or more gets 20 percent). The nonprofit groups are able to share information about their projects during the event.

The brewery is owned by Rick Armstrong and Suzan Hess, who started selling small batches of their beer in 2010. The brewery has grown in the few years it’s been open, and now the brew is distributed throughout Southeast Alaska and other parts of the state. On occasion they’ll source locally harvested spruce tips and other flavorings for the beer, and they make their spent grain available to local gardeners for compost (bring your own container).

The BIBCO taproom has a variety of locally brewed beer available (Halibut Point Hefeweizen, Peril Strait Pale Ale, Medvejie Stout, Silver Bay IPA, Redoubt Red Ale, Baranof  Brown Ale, seasonal and special brews, and Ben’s Brew Root Beer for the kids and non-drinkers), pizza and other food, and a selection of BIBCO swag (t-shirts, refillable growlers, glassware, beer bread mix, soap, etc.). If you can’t stay for some food and liquid refreshments (note, there is a 36-ounce limit on alcoholic drinks served at the taproom, per state law), Wednesday is a good time to refill your growlers or buy some BIBCO swag for your family and friends.

For more information about Baranof Island Brewing Co., call 747-BREW (747-2739), stop by the brewery, go to the BIBCO website, or go to the BIBCO page on Facebook.

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• Support the Sitka Local Foods Network when you shop using the AmazonSmile program

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At the Sitka Local Foods Network, we encourage Sitka residents to shop from local businesses first. But when you live in rural Alaska you sometimes can’t find what you need in town, so many people end up shopping online. Now you can support your Sitka Local Foods Network every time you shop using the AmazonSmile program.

lookforamazonsmileLaunched in October, the AmazonSmile program allows shoppers to pick a charity of their choice to receive a small portion (0.5 percent) of every eligible purchase they make in the program. Even though the shared percentage is small, the way people in rural Alaska shop online it quickly can add up to significant support for local foods in Sitka. Nearly all purchases qualify for AmazonSmile (except for some digital products), and all you have to do is look for the eligibility logo by each item (see logo in upper right corner of this paragraph).

Shopping using the AmazonSmile program is simple, just type “smile.amazon.com” into your browser’s address bar instead of the usual “www.amazon.com.” When you get to the page, you will be asked to select your favorite charity, so make sure to type “Sitka Local Foods Network” into the search bar. There are thousands of large national, state, and local 501(c)(3) nonprofit organizations in the program, so make sure your page says “Supporting Sitka Local Foods Network” next to the AmazonSmile logo in the top left corner.

The only drawback to AmazonSmile is remembering to type smile.amazon.com
when you shop instead of the usual amazon.com. Luckily, both Google Chrome and Mozilla Firefox browsers have extension programs to help take you directly to AmazonSmile:

These browser extension programs simply redirect you to smile.amazon.com when you forget and just type amazon.com (or click a link or use a bookmark).

So don’t forget to shop with local businesses in Sitka first. But if you can’t find what you need in town and decide to shop online, please use the AmazonSmile program and support your Sitka Local Foods Network.

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• Sitka Local Foods Network seeks manager and assistant manager for 2014 Sitka Farmers Markets

SitkaFarmersMarketSignThe Sitka Local Foods Network is looking for a manager and assistant manager to coordinate the 2014 Sitka Farmers Markets this summer. These are contract positions, and the manager and assistant manager (who reports to the manager) receive small compensation depending on experience for their work organizing the six scheduled farmers markets this summer.

This is the seventh year of operation for the Sitka Farmers Market, which features six markets from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. every other Saturday from June through September at the Alaska Native Brotherhood Founders Hall (this year’s tentative dates are June 28, July 12, 26, Aug. 9, 23, and Sept. 6). SLFNGroupwLindaThe farmers markets feature booths from local farmers/gardeners, local fishermen, and artisans and craftspeople. These events are great Sitka gathering places, and we promote local foods and other local goods at them.

A detailed description of the market manager duties can be found at the link below. For more information or to submit applications, contact Maybelle Filler at 738-1982 or mocampo25@hotmail.com, or you can email the Sitka Local Foods Network Board of Directors at sitkalocalfoodsnetwork@gmail.com. Applications (cover letter, resume, three recommendations) are due by 5 p.m. on Friday, Feb. 28. The market manager of the Sitka Farmers Market reports to the Sitka Local Foods Network Board of Directors.

• Description of duties for market manager of the Sitka Farmers Market Manager (2014)