🌟 Community Calendar & Service Newsletter | Standing Together This Season

By Gina Hill | Alaska Headline Living | November 2025

As Typhoon Halong continues to impact families across our state, our communities are showing, once again, who we are. We stand with our displaced neighbors not out of charity, but solidarity. Whether someone is hungry due to a natural disaster or because they’ve lived unhoused for any reason, a human being is hungry. And we want to help.

At Bean’s Café, every day is about kinship, belonging, and shared humanity. We don’t “rescue people”—we receivethem. Thank you for being part of a community that shows up.

Below is this week’s Community Calendar, Volunteer Callouts, and Local Happenings.

🫶 VOLUNTEER SPOTLIGHT: Help Serve Meals to Families Displaced by Typhoon Halong

Bean’s Cafe has served Anchorage since 1979, now providing more than 5,000 meals a day with the help of community volunteers and a brand-new kitchen, proving no one needs to go hungry when we work together.

Volunteers urgently needed to help serve meals at the hotels caring for individuals and families displaced by Typhoon Halong.

Your time means:

A warm plate for someone who lost their home
A moment of dignity
A reminder that they are not alone

Sign up here: https://beanscafe.org/volunteer/
Bean’s Café is a qualified 501(c)(3) nonprofit.
Tax ID: 92-0072522

⚡ Skilled Volunteer Needed: Licensed Electrician

Bean’s Café is also seeking a licensed electrician to help move wiring in our serving kitchen as we expand our capacity to meet urgent needs this winter.

If you or someone you know can assist, please contact: slingle@beanscafe.org

💛 November is “Thank a Business Month”

The Better Business Bureau was founded in 1912 to protect consumers from misleading advertisements, making it one of America’s oldest organizations dedicated to building trust between businesses and the public

According to the Better Business Bureau, November is a time to uplift and thank the businesses that keep our communities thriving.
Leave a positive review or shout-out for a local business that’s made a difference in your life or neighborhood.
Learn more: BBB.org

🚔 Anchorage Police Department Reminder: Winter Vehicle Theft Prevention

A little known fact about the Anchorage Police Department is that in the 1920s, the city hired night watchmen for the dark winter months, and their duties included stoking the fires that heated local businesses, not just checking for security, showing how policing in Anchorage once involved keeping the city both safe and warm during the harsh Alaskan winters.

As the temperatures drop, APD is reporting an increase in vehicle thefts. Protect your ride:

❌ Don’t leave keys in your vehicle
🚫 Never leave it running unattended
🔒 Lock doors and windows
🔦 Park in well-lit areas
📦 Remove valuables, key fobs & garage door openers

Emergency: 911
Non-emergency: 311 or 907-786-8900
Stay safe out there, Anchorage!

🎄 Holiday Happenings

✨ Holiday Lights & Dancing Nights – A Cosmic Christmas Celebration

The construction of the Curtis D. Menard Memorial Sports Center was so pivotal for the city of Wasilla that voters approved a special sales tax increase, making it a rare community project directly funded by public vote; its opening was delayed by a dramatic eminent domain lawsuit over the land. Yet today, it stands as a 104,000-square-foot hub that inspired a plot point in the TV series “Parks and Recreation”.

Saturday, November 29 | 2:45 PM
Featuring Learn-to-Skate skaters and Competition Team soloists
FREE Admission
❄️ Free family skate afterward with cookies & cocoa!

🎄 City of Wasilla Mayor’s Christmas Tree Lighting Ceremony

Saturday, December 6, 2025 | 5:00 PM
Iditapark | 500 W Nelson Ave, Wasilla

Wasilla’s annual Christmas tree lighting is just the start of the town’s holiday cheer. A beloved tradition, the “Home for the Holidays Raffle,” brings locals together to support community projects and win festive prizes, celebrating the spirit of giving and togetherness that makes Wasilla’s holiday season unique. Greater Wasilla Chamber of Commerce

Join Mayor Glenda Ledford as we welcome the holiday season with:

A ceremonial tree lighting
Seasonal music
Community warmth & cheer
A magical family-friendly celebration

Bundle up and bring the whole family!

🤝 Continue Showing Up for One Another

Alaska Headline Living

From serving meals to preventing crime to celebrating together under twinkling lights, community is something we create, one act at a time.

Thank you for standing in solidarity with our neighbors.
Thank you for living the mission:

Warmly,
Your Community Newsletter Team at Alaska Headline Living 🫶