FollowAs we round out the first quarter of 2021, we have found ourselves feeling both lucky and leery – lucky to have cultivated a supportive board and donations from businesses, yet leery as we make difficult choices as we embark on our second budget deficit year. Keeping both money and mission in balance means 2021 will come with some deep changes to our programs.
Due to a loss in sponsorship we have had to dip into our savings as well as cut the number of bags produced this year. Our goal continues to be to provide some bags to every community, albeit limited. We are pursuing a sponsor for 2022 and with a successful partnership, will regain our previous momentum.
Our Youth Litter Patrol program (YLP) will also be severely impacted, with the suspension of mini-grants and just small equipment grants to YLP programs outside Anchorage (read more here) in 2021.
While we realize the hardship this presents to so many communities, there are things we can continue to do that make a difference:
– we can supply our programs with free ALPAR bags (albeit not as many as in the past);
– we can supply safety vests to our cleanup volunteers and Youth Litter Patrollers throughout the state (more than 1,000 on a yearly basis);
– we can supply small equipment grants for garbage “grabbers” and can crushers (a need we have heard about for many years); and
– we can continue to move nearly 1,000 shipping containers of recyclables to the Lower 48.
We look forward to our work throughout Alaska, and wish you all a safe and productive spring.