ANCHORAGE, Alaska — In the far reaches of Alaska, where traditional food delivery services like DoorDash are nonexistent, residents are finding a way to celebrate Thanksgiving with the Alaska Turkey Bomb initiative. For the third consecutive year, Esther Keim has been taking to the skies in her small aircraft to deliver frozen turkeys to those living in remote areas who find it challenging to access grocery stores.
Much of Alaska is wilderness, with only about 20% of the state connected by road infrastructure. During the winter months, individuals in isolated regions often depend on small planes or snowmobiles for transportation, using frozen rivers as makeshift routes. Keim draws inspiration from her childhood, recalling a family friend who would drop turkeys from the sky to local families during Thanksgiving. This experience left a lasting impression on her, and a couple of years ago, after learning of a family struggling to put together a holiday meal, she decided to take action.
Keim was motivated to bridge the gap for families like this one who had little to celebrate during Thanksgiving. “They mentioned that a squirrel for dinner wasn’t enough for three people,” she reminisced. “That was the moment I thought, ‘I’m going to drop them a turkey.’” From that point onward, her project began to gain momentum through word of mouth and social media outreach. This year, she aimed to deliver 32 turkeys to those living in cabins without direct road access.
By Tuesday, most of the turkeys had been successfully delivered, with the last two’s delivery stymied due to Alaska’s unpredictable weather conditions. Among those receiving a turkey were Dave and Christina Luce, residing along the Yentna River, about 45 miles northwest of Anchorage. While enjoying breathtaking mountain views, including that of Denali, North America’s highest peak, the couple often makes a long 90-minute snowmobile journey to town about once per month.
At 80 years old, Dave Luce expressed how their trips have become less frequent: “The adventure has sort of gone out of it.” They have known Keim since her childhood, and the 12-pound turkey provided by her is more than sufficient to make their Thanksgiving special. “It makes a great Thanksgiving,” Dave said appreciatively, praising Keim for her kindness and friendship.
Annually, Keim manages to deliver between 30 and 40 turkeys, sometimes flying as far as 100 miles from her base near Anchorage toward Denali’s foothills. Often, she has a “turkey dropper” to assist her by tossing the turkeys out of the plane, but on some occasions, she drops them herself while a friend pilots.
Procurement of the turkeys comes with the aid of donations, as she buys around 20 at a time, coordinated through social media channels like Facebook. To keep the birds intact until they are ready for flight, she wraps them in plastic garbage bags and stores them in her pickup truck. “Luckily it’s cold in Alaska, so I don’t have to worry about freezers,” she stated.
Once she reaches her delivery destination, Keim notifies families through social media, waiting for them to show themselves outside before she releases the turkeys from the air. “We won’t drop the turkey until we see them come out of the house or cabin,” she explained, noting that visibility is crucial; otherwise, the recipients may miss the delivery altogether. Finding the turkeys can be particularly challenging if they land in deep snow—once, a turkey was unaccounted for for five days before it was eventually located.
When possible, she prefers to drop the turkeys onto frozen lakes to make them easier to spot. “As far as precision goes, I’m definitely not the best aim,” she joked. However, she’s proud to say that she has never hit any buildings, people, or pets during her drops.
The most rewarding aspect of her efforts is the gratitude expressed by families, some of whom even capture videos of the turkey drops and send her messages of appreciation. “They just think it’s so awesome that we throw these things out of the plane,” Keim mentioned, smiling at the joy her initiative brings.
In the future, Keim hopes to establish a nonprofit organization aimed at gathering more donations and helping a larger number of families throughout Alaska. Additionally, she envisions expanding her offerings beyond turkeys. “There are so many children out in the villages,” she said brightly. “It would be great to add stuffed animals or something they can cherish.”