In remote areas of Alaska, there's no need to rely on DoorDash thanksgiving dinner – Or any dinner – delivered. But some residents living off the grid still have turkeys this holiday, thanks to the Alaska Turkey Bomb.
For the third year in a row, a resident named Esther Keim has been flying slower and slower in a small plane over rural parts of south-central Alaska, dropping off frozen turkeys to people who can't easily get out. Can. Grocery store,
Most of Alaska is wilderness and only 20% of it is accessible by road. In winter, many people living in remote areas rely on small planes or snowmobiles to travel any distance, and frozen rivers can act as temporary roads.
Alaska Gear Company via AP
When Keim was growing up in a home in Alaska, a family friend would fly turkeys to his family and others in the neighborhood for the holidays. At other times, the pilot would deliver newspapers, sometimes along with a pack of gum for Keem.
His family moved to more urban Alaska about 25 years ago but still own their home. Using a small plane repurposed with his father, Keim started his turkey delivery mission a few years ago when he learned that a family living on nearby land had little to spare for Thanksgiving dinner.
“They were telling me that one squirrel for dinner wasn't divided far enough between three people,” Keim recalled. “At that moment, I thought… 'I'm going to drop them with a turkey plane.'”
He decided not to stay there. Their efforts have grown through word of mouth and social media posts. This year, she's delivering 32 frozen turkeys to people who live year-round in cabins where there are no roads.
Mountain Mind Media/Alaska Gear Company via AP
By Tuesday, all but two birds had been delivered, with delivery plans for the final two birds having fallen through due to Alaska's unpredictable weather.
The beneficiaries include Dave and Christina Luce, who live on the Yentna River, about 45 miles (72 kilometers) northwest of Anchorage. They have stunning mountain views in every direction, including North America's tallest mountain, Denali, directly to the north. But in the winter it's a 90-minute snowmobile ride to the nearest town, which they do about once a month.
“I'm 80 now, so we travel less and less,” Dave Loos said. āThe excitement is kind of over.ā
He has known Keem since she was little. The 12-pound (5.44-kilogram) turkey he delivered would provide more than enough for him and some neighbors.
“It's a great Thanksgiving,” Dave Luce said. “She's been a real sweetheart, and she's been a real good friend.”
Keim makes 30 to 40 turkey deliveries annually, flying 100 miles (161 kilometers) from his base north of Anchorage to the foothills of Denali.
Sometimes she enlists the help of a “turkey dropper” to throw the birds out. Other times, she's the one dropping off the turkey while her friend Heidi Hastings pilots her own plane.
Esther Keim via AP
Keem buys about 20 turkeys at a time, with the help of donations, usually from people reaching out to him. via facebookShe wraps them in plastic garbage bags and lets them sit on the bed of her pickup until she can make flight arrangements.
“Luckily it's cold in Alaska, so I don't have to worry about the freezer,” she said.
She contacts families on social media to let them know about the impending delivery, and then they discuss it in the house so that the homeowners come out.
“We won't drop the turkey until we see them coming out of the house or cabin, because if they don't see it dropped, they won't know where to look,” he said.
Finding a turkey can be especially difficult if there is deep snow. Keim said a turkey was once missing for five days before being found, but the only casualty so far has been the loss of a ham.
If possible, Keim likes to drop the turkey on a frozen lake so it is easier to locate.
“I'm definitely not the best marksman as far as accuracy and hitting our targets,” he joked. “I've gotten better, but I've never hit a house, building, person or dog.”
His reward is the wonderful response he gets from families, with some people recording him dropping the turkey and sending him videos and messages of appreciation.
“They think it's so amazing that we throw these things out of planes,” Keim said.
Ultimately, she hopes to set up a non-profit organization to solicit more donations and reach people in a larger part of the state. And it doesn't have to stop at Turkey.
āThere are a lot of children in the villages,ā she said. āMaybe it would be nice to add a stuffed animal or something they can hold.ā