December 3, 2020
Senator
Bill Wielechowski
State Capitol, Rm 9
Juneau, AK 99801
800-550-2435
907-465-2435
1500 W Benson #315
Anchorage, AK 99503
907-269-0120
Contact My Staff
Sonja Kawasaki
Chief of Staff
Office: 907-465-2435
Nate Graham
Legislative Aide
Office: 907-269-0120
Leighan Gonzales
Legislative Aide
Contact Alaska's Federal Delegation
Senator Lisa Murkowski
Phone: 907-271-3735
Senator Dan Sullivan
Phone: 907-271-5915
Representative Don Young
Phone: 907-271-5950
Contact the Governor
Governor Dunleavy's Anchorage office may be reached at 269-7450, or e-mail him at [email protected]
Visit the state website
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Dear Friends & Neighbors,
As the City of Anchorage enters into a 30-day partial shutdown, I wanted to share some information and resources available to help those in need during this difficult time.
In addition, as the Alaska Legislature prepares to reconvene for session next month, the state faces another year of tough challenges. In this newsletter I've provided a link to a site created by Commonwealth North that I hope you will find helpful to understanding these challenges and thinking through solutions to our fiscal problems.
Municipality of Anchorage Pandemic Voucher Program
This week, Acting Mayor Austin Quinn-Davidson announced a voucher program to assist qualified Anchorage individuals and families who need help paying for basic needs such as for groceries, diapers, medication, and gasoline, during the ongoing pandemic.
Individuals who qualify will be eligible for a $200 one-time voucher, while families who qualify will be eligible for a $400 one-time voucher.
For more information Please click here for ASSISTANCE.
The Children's Lunchbox, a program run by Beans Café, will be providing food boxes at four distribution sites. Each child under 18 qualifies for a food box and must be present to receive distribution. The boxes will contain two suppers for each child present-one for the day of service and one for the following day. The meals will be provided as grab-and-go boxes in a drive-thru line. Families will also be able to receive Pantry Boxes of shelf-stable meals for a family of four while supplies last.
The four distribution sites, dates, and times are:
- Lighthouse Fellowship, Mon, Wed, Fri, 3-3:45 pm
- Loussac Place, Mon, Wed, Fri, 3-3:45 pm
- Spenard Recreation Center, Mon, Wed, Fri, 3-3:45 pm
- Fairview Recreation Center, Mon, Wed, Fri, 4-4:45 pm
For more information, please click HERE.
Emergency Food Box Distribution
The Food Bank of Alaska will be distributing boxes of The Emergency Food Assistance Program (TEFAP) at the Tikahtnu Commons (old Sam's Club parking lot) twice weekly through September 2021. This distribution will take place every Monday and Thursday from 5:00-7:00 pm. The Food Bank asks participants to please not show up before 4:30 pm.
Registration is required to be filled out once a year and you can do that by clicking HERE.
TEFAP Information:
- Mondays & Thursdays from 5:00-7:00 pm
- Drive-through distribution
- One box per family, per week
- Additional box of produce/dairy, milk, and meat provided as well
*Items may vary week to week*
For the full flyer with distribution location map, click HERE.
Counseling Help for Coping with COVID-19
In addition to its usual counseling services, the UAA Psychological Services Center (PSC) is offering free telehealth COVID-19 Coping Sessions for people struggling with sadness, loneliness, anxiety, trouble sleeping, lack of motivation or other behavioral health issues while dealing with these trying times. The COVID-19 Coping Session is a free single, one-hour session with a mental health clinician that will be conducted via Zoom or phone. Call 786-1795 to schedule your COVID-19 Coping Session.
Get Tested for COVID-19, Even if You Do Not Have Symptoms
Do you know if you do not have COVID-19? You can find out for free.
Free testing locations, hours, and days of operation have been expanded in the Municipality of Anchorage. Go to: anchoragecovidtest.org to find a free testing site and pre-register.
The Health Insurance Marketplace Open Enrollment Deadline is December 15
If you don't have health insurance and want to take advantage of the federal Affordable Care Act's Health Insurance Marketplace, or you need to renew your Marketplace enrollment, you can do so today at by clicking HERE. But don't wait, the deadline is December 15!
Alaska Budget Choices Survey
The upcoming fiscal year's state budget will soon occupy most of our time when the Legislature heads back to Juneau in January, especially as we navigate the very real economic impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic. Below is a website resource by Commonwealth North explaining our fiscal circumstances and a tool you can try out to make budget suggestions that will be sent directly to the Governor and Legislature to help close our fiscal gap.
Click HERE to visit the website.
As always if you have any questions please do not hesitate to contact my office at 907-269-0120 or simply reply to this email.
Warmly,
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