Yvonne Krumrey

On Friday morning, about a dozen people pulled items out of their makeshift homes along Teal Street, and packed them into black trash bags or tote boxes.

A dusting of snow had already started settling on the tents and shelters. Police stood on the sidewalk, and volunteers and nonprofit workers passed out eggs and potatoes from a tent nearby. 

Willow Williams sat in a wheelchair across the street from his tent. He has severe health problems: he has a colostomy bag and a hernia, alongside a slew of injuries. A lot of people at the encampment were worried about him, and they came by to bring him food and ask what else he needed, as others helped him pack up his shelter.

“My friend built that place, and he let me move in there, because, you know, it was hard for me with everything,” he said, pointing to his colostomy bag. “And I got a bed in there, and it kept me out of the wind. It kept me away from the rain.” 

Williams said he’s been comfortable there. It’s close to the Glory Hall shelter where he receives help with his health conditions. He said he hopes he’ll get a bed in the shelter soon.

Last year, the city closed a summer campground that unhoused people in Juneau frequently used, and instructed people to camp in small groups on other public land.

This past spring, large groups of tents cropped up in the Teal Street area. And they have been the subject of public debate and safety concerns. The city already cleared the encampment at this spot at least once this year. 

Then in August, because of safety threats to Glory Hall staff and residents, the nearby shelter stopped offering day services. 

Friday morning, the city forced people out of the encampment after giving notice earlier in the week. 

Juneau Police Commander Jeremy Weske was on site, along with several other officers. He said that this encampment isn’t safe in the winter months. 

“We don’t want people being on streets or in ditches and snow plows coming through and having a tragedy,” he said. “So that’s why this is happening now.” 

Smaller groups of people are allowed to camp on what the city calls “unimproved public land,” but officials haven’t offered more concrete guidance. Friday, city officials advised people to go to the city-funded emergency warming shelter in Thane, which only operates overnight.

Williams needs to make it through the next few days, or however long it takes before he can go to the Glory Hall. He said he hasn’t been able to sleep at the emergency warming shelter in the past due to discomfort from his medical issues, but he’s hopeful accommodations have improved.

Director Kaia Quinto said the Glory Hall has been at capacity every night so far this year. 

“Usually when we have somebody move out, there’s like that hour of space where we’re helping them clean and pack up their belongings,” she said. “And then someone else is right in their bed afterwards.”

But she said staff is trying hard to get Williams into the shelter.

“We don’t have any beds,” Quinto said. “But Willow is a high priority for us, to get him in before the weather gets too bad.”

Back on Teal Street, Doug Worthington and his partner Nathaniel Hensley-Williams were strategizing where they could store their stuff, and where to go next. Worthington said they can stay at the Thane warming shelter at night. 

“The other half of the problem is, where are we gonna go during the day?” he said.

“Well, that’s when we just set up our tent during the day and collapse it during the evening,”  Hensley-Williams said. “Because I have thought about that.”

Worthington is from Juneau and said he has been living outside without stable housing for about a year now. 

Initially, people camped here on Teal Street to access the Glory Hall’s day services, but since those stopped, Hensley-Williams said people stay because it feels safer here than other parts of town. 

“Staying here is where we’re not getting f—– with,” he said. “That’s the only reason we have stayed here.”

As an excavator picked up tents and platforms and dropped them in a dump truck, Worthington stood with his and his partner’s stuff, packed into a tower of totes. He said the city isn’t giving his community the help they need. 

“And they say they hate it because they don’t want to be doing this. But yet, here they are,” he said. “They say they want to help us, and yet they’re kicking us out. We’ve all built our homes right here. 

Worthington said he’s been moved around to different parts of the city, but people always complain about people camping, no matter where they go.

Addressing an audience in the clan house inside the Walter Soboleff building in Juneau, Shgendootaan George laid out the history of three killer whale totem poles that have stood next to her clan house in Angoon. The latest was raised in August.

The lecture was part of a Sealaska Heritage Institute series celebrating Native American Heritage Month. 

For George, the history of the Killer Whale Tooth clan house and its kootéeyaa — or totem poles — are intertwined with her own personal history. She was nine years old when they raised a second pole commemorating the 100th anniversary of when the U.S. Navy attacked the village of Angoon. 

“This picture is going to make me cry. This is my dad on top of the forklift helping place the killer whale as it goes on to the post,” George said, referencing a slideshow she presented during the lecture. “And this is me and my mom looking out the window.”

The 1882 bombardment destroyed the village, its clan houses, canoes and food supplies – just before winter set in. Six children died. 

The memorial kootéeyaa depicted a black and white killer whale sitting on a tall stand. Master Carver Wayne Price carved it at Angoon High School. It replaced a similar pole that stood next to the house and was laid down before George was born. 

“Then that’s where I spent the rest of my life after that,” she said. “Growing up with this totem pole next to our house.”

It aged too. She showed a photo of the same pole, with all of its paint worn away. 

“And this is where, you know, it kind of ended up weathered and worn and moss growing on it,” George said.

When kootéeyaa begin to disintegrate, that is considered part of their life cycle, and they are taken down and laid to rest.

That also happened to the second pole in 2010. George led that process. The pole was laid to rest like a clan member: it was cremated. 

Over the last decade, George also reconstructed the clan house that she grew up in and continues to live in each summer with her family. 

And earlier this year, the newest killer whale kootéeyaa, carved by Joe Zuboff, was raised with the help of the people — and their descendants — who participated in the raising and lowering of its predecessor.

“One of the things that is really important to me in the raising of this most recent poll is to really be really thoughtful in thinking about continuity and really connecting with the past and bringing that forward into the future,” she said.

And now that the kootéeyaa is standing, and the house is restored, George has time to reflect on her experience. 

“That was probably the biggest thing that I will ever be directly a part of in my life,” she said.

SHI President Rosita Worl attended the lecture, and applauded George and her community for the legacy they have carried forward. 

“Look at the knowledge that you have, look at the practices that you can do,” Worl said. “It just warms my heart to see that Angoon has been the center and the stronghold of our culture.” 

Last fall, the U.S. Navy issued a formal apology for the bombardment of Angoon, after clan leaders and Worl herself spent decades asking for one.

After nearly a decade serving Juneau a range of fresh food, a beloved local restaurant is closing its doors at the end of the month. Zerelda’s Bistro was started by a couple who love food almost as much as they love each other.

Abby and Jeremy Barnett opened Zerelda’s together in 2016. It’s named after Abby’s grandmother, Zerelda LaForce, who fostered her love of cooking and baking. 

The restaurant started as Abby’s dream, and when the two met online, Jeremy was ready to join her in it. He moved to Alaska for her and the business.

“I met her, and I dropped everything,” he said. “I loved what she was doing. I was like ‘I’ll come help.’” 

“Yeah, and we fell in love,” Abby said. “And we just loved cooking together.”

Zerelda’s originally debuted on the Juneau food scene in a different location in the Mendenhall Valley, with sit-down table service.

A few years after opening, the couple decided to get married, rather spontaneously. They didn’t even close the restaurant. 

“We had whiskey and we ate El Zarape,” Abby said, referring to a local Mexican restaurant. 

“And shots and tacos,” Jeremy said. “Smoked ribs.”

“Then it was hilarious,” Abby said. “We opened for service two hours later.”

Zerelda’s moved to its current location in the Valley during the COVID-19 pandemic. The Barnetts turned what used to be a laundromat into a massive kitchen and bakery, and shifted to a primarily to-go counter. Soon, the demand for their food tripled, and they said it took a few years to find their stride.

But still, they prioritized fresh, local food, and a diverse menu. 

It features decadent comfort food like fried chicken and burgers to veggie-forward noodle bowls and pho.

New specials appear on their chalkboard almost daily, and cookies, pies and croissants line the shelves of a case by the register. Abby Barnett said it’s the product of the people in the back of the house — the diverse cultures and ideas they bring to the menu. 

“We love to see what people’s strengths are,” she said.

Abby Barnett said that rising costs and other fluctuations in the economy have given them the opportunity to be creative with their menu. She said they’re closing for health reasons. 

In 2023, Jeremy had a severe heart attack, and since then, the couple has tried to find ways to step back from the restaurant without closing. But this fall, they decided it was time.

“It was a hard decision,” he said. “It’s emotional. It’s like, this is all we know. It’s what we built together.”

Abby said the hardest part for her is saying goodbye to her staff.

“They’re people that you’ve spent every day with for years and years and years,” she said. “And they’re who kept us going when we didn’t think we could go anymore.”

The Barnetts say they are seeking someone who is willing to take over the restaurant, and have had some promising conversations so far. 

They’re planning to close on Nov. 22. 

Outside the Southeast Alaska Food Bank on Thursday afternoon, dozens of people lined up to receive food.

Inside, volunteers took the slips of paper saying how many adults, kids and pets were associated with each household. They filled bags with yogurt, bread and asparagus and sent them down to the other end of the food bank, where people picked them up. 

Shannon James was in line to get food for her family.

“I stress a lot about my grandkids,” she said. “I’m not so worried about myself. I can eat Top Ramen, but the kids need nutrients and vitamins.”

After a delay caused by the federal government shutdown, some Alaskans enrolled in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program — also called SNAP or food stamps — have begun to receive half their monthly benefits this week.

Despite that, the delay has driven Juneau residents to worry that their next meal isn’t guaranteed, and local organizations are stepping up their efforts to fill the gap.

James received half of her SNAP benefits on Thursday, but it was a stressful week for her family, and she said she’s not sure when the rest will come. 

“The stuff I get from SNAP, then I go to the store and get what I didn’t get from the food bank,” James said. “Because the food bank, you kind of get the regular things, and not necessarily the basics like milk and eggs and stuff.”

This week, those basic groceries were harder to get without food stamps. 

In an email, the Alaska Department of Health’s Shirley Sakaye said she expects the rest of the payments to go out next week. But she said the state hasn’t received guidance from the federal government for December if the shutdown continues. 

In the meantime, the Southeast Alaska Food Bank has prepared for more need. Dan Parks is its executive director.

“Demand is up,” he said. “We’ve been busy. This is maybe the busiest week I’ve had since I’ve been here.”

He said double the usual number of volunteers were there for Thursday’s distribution. And people are finding other ways to help.

“The thing that we have seen increase the most in the last week is donations,” Parks said. “Which is amazing, and that’s really heartening to see such a huge outpouring of support.” 

It’s needed. Organizers say the food pantry at Resurrection Lutheran Church downtown ran out of food a few hours into opening on Tuesday. 

Speaking on KTOO’s Juneau Afternoon on Thursday, Karen Lawfer said the church is stepping up its weekly efforts by adding a second night to give out hot food to anyone who needs it. 

“If food insecurity is an issue, just come on in and meet your neighbors and meet the community,” she said.

There are food pantry hours throughout the week across Juneau. Resurrection Lutheran Church is hosting a telethon to raise money for food security Saturday from 6 to 10 p.m.

Five firefighter apprentices in Juneau received their pins on Saturday, meaning they formally joined the force. The five new recruits are officially EMTs and are welcomed by an understaffed department. 

Capital City Fire Rescue Chief Rich Etheridge led the ceremony at the Douglas Public Library, next door to the fire station. 

“This is the future of the fire service,” he said. “These are the folks that are going to replace the ones that have been here for a while. ”

This program is the first of its kind in Juneau. Etheridge said the 10-month training has two necessary credentials built into it, so the department can recruit people before they are certified. 

“We decided that we’ll bring them on,” he said. “We’ll give them all that training. So we look for people with the interpersonal skills and natural aptitude and some leadership and teamwork, and then we start building the rescue skills from that.”

Saturday’s ceremony marks the apprentices finishing their EMT certifications. That allows them to respond to emergencies as EMTs, offering more advanced medical care, instead of just observing those parts of the job.

Sarah Kuhnell is one of the newly certified apprentices and she said her time in the program has taught her that she is resilient.

“And now that I have that certification, and people are putting a little bit more trust in me, I’m able to do more things and kind of show what I know,” she said. “And it’s really fun and exciting to, like, put my skills to the test.”

She said sheʼs excited to have the certification under her belt, so she can be of more service to the department.

The apprentices will complete their Firefighter 1 certifications and graduate from the program in May. 

Thousands of Juneau residents will be in limbo as of Saturday, when SNAP benefits officially become a victim of the political battle between Congress, the Trump administration and the federal courts. 

As the government shutdown continues, the Trump administration announced earlier this month that it would not use contingency funds to allow Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program payments to continue. On Friday, federal judges ruled that the administration must continue the payments either partially or in full.

But benefits are unlikely to be distributed on Saturday as scheduled, and it remains unclear when and how much of the expected funds will go out to American families. That leaves as many as 2,000 SNAP recipients in Juneau without the means to buy food. 

Former Juneau Assembly Member Michelle Hale wrote an op-ed for the Juneau Independent about the SNAP cutoff last week. She told KTOO that even a week’s delay makes a difference for families. 

“People are going to start going hungry tomorrow,” she said Friday.

Hale said the federal back-and-forth takes an emotional toll on the people she knows who use food stamps. 

“What for me is really unforgivable is my elderly friends or this woman that I met yesterday, how frightening this is for them and how unnecessary it is to put them through this fear,” she said. “It’s really, really scary.”

Dan Parks leads the Southeast Alaska Food Bank. He said that even before SNAP was threatened, the demand for food support grew a lot this year. It nearly doubled. 

He said the food bank is as prepared as it can be to help meet the gap in food services, but it’s not possible to fully meet it. Feeding America, the national food bank network, says that for every meal food banks provide, SNAP provides nine. 

“We can’t increase that much, that fast,” Parks said. “Nobody can. No food bank is going to be prepared to meet that kind of gap.” 

Normally, the demand is greater at the end of the month, when people run out of SNAP benefits, and then it eases up again in the next month. But Parks said he’s expecting the need will only keep increasing until people receive their payments. 

But there are ways community members can help in the meantime. 

“In order to prepare, we are watching. We are responding,” Parks said. “We aren’t panicking, but we are trying to make it known to everybody that wants to help, that there’s lots of things that you can do. You can donate time, you can donate food, you can donate money.”

Parks said people who want to help should reach out to local groups to see what is being done and how they can help. He also said they can contact the food bank’s member organizations, like St. Vincent de Paul and several local churches, that distribute food throughout the week and often need more volunteers. 

Parks said until benefits are restored, Juneau’s food support network will keep doing whatever it can to put food on tables.