A few weeks ago at a potluck I was offered a piece of fresh muktuk from the bowhead whale harpooned by Bernadette Adams, the first known female whaler in Barrow history. It was shared among friends, and connected us for a brief moment to lives above the Arctic Circle, very different from our own. I was struck by the generosity of the gift and the knowledge that one whale nourished not just a family, and not just a community, but people across the state. If Adams knew that her whale had made it to my potluck plate, what would she say?
Alaskans are generous people and giving is in our nature. From sharing our catch to donating to local charities, I believe that the spirit of philanthropy is very much alive in our state. But like many things, it has a deeper meaning in Alaska. It's not just about giving money. It's rooted in an indigenous culture of caring and giving of your time, talent and self.
If you have ever given or received a salmon fillet you know what I'm talking about.
In my work with a nonprofit, I spend a lot of time talking to people about why they give. What motivates them? What touches their hearts? But I also look at a lot of data: trends, charts and predictions. And usually, Alaska falls on the low end of national individual giving statistics. We were ranked 38th in a recent report by the Chronicle of Philanthropy called "How America Gives," which showed giving patterns across the country and state by state. Their data was based on the tax returns filed by Americans who itemize their deductions, including their charitable gifts. And while interesting, I found the analysis severely lacking. I felt there was a part of our giving story that was missing.
According to the report, in 2012 Alaskans donated an estimated $306 million in charitable gifts to nonprofits and community causes across the state, which was about $26.50 for every $1,000 earned. Utah came in at number one, with a giving total of over $3 billion and $65.60 donated for every $1,000 earned.
Pick.Click.Give. has been wildly successful, allowing Alaskans to share some of their Permanent Fund dividends with charitable causes. The Alaska Community Foundation reported a giving increase this year; nearly 27,000 Alaskans gave over $2.7 million from their PFDs to their nonprofits of choice.
What the data is missing is the culture of philanthropy behind the numbers. There's more to philanthropy than just dollars, and there is more to being a philanthropist than just writing checks.
The Corporation for National and Community Service ranks Alaska third in the nation for the number of volunteer hours per resident. I've found that people willingly and eagerly give their time to causes they care about.
Danielle Slingsby is the executive director of the Nome Community Center, which operates an elder lunch program. "Many elders used to consume subsistence foods on a regular basis. If they or their children can no longer hunt, then their ability to get those resources become limited," she said.
The Alaska Department of Fish & Game has donated hundreds of pounds of locally harvested animals to the program. The residents of Nome donate fish, musk ox, moose, caribou, berries and greens they have hunted, caught and harvested.
Without the donations, "we would not be able to afford to purchase meat locally and respect the tradition of eating subsistence foods which are healthy for our bodies. We serve the donations in many ways as lunch for our elders, from soups and stews to lasagna," Singsby said.
I've heard stories like this in communities across the state.
Local fishermen in Dillingham and Sitka donate a portion of their catch each summer to be served on elementary school students' plates.
KwikPak Fisheries shipped chum salmon from Emmonak to Galena last summer when none of their residents could fish because they were cleaning up from the big flood.
ADF&G also donates all the salmon it catches in villages to the people in those communities, which sometimes is the only way people can get salmon because they are either too old or don't have access to the right gear.
The Alaska Zoo feeds its animals freezer-burned fish and game donated by locals.
Over the coming Thanksgiving holiday, it's estimated that food banks and shelters in Anchorage, Fairbanks and the Kenai Peninsula will supply more than 12,000 families with holiday meals.
This is a part of our Alaska philanthropy story that needs to be told and celebrated.
National Philanthropy Day is Nov. 21. Let's start a conversation. What does giving back mean to you? Do you donate to local charities? Do you give a turkey to ensure no Alaska family goes without Thanksgiving dinner? Or perhaps your donation is found in a small gift of muktuk.
Shannon Kuhn is the development coordinator for Great Land Trust and lives in Anchorage, where she writes about food and culture.