Alaskan pilot 'airdrops' turkeys to remote areas to keep Thanksgiving tradition alive – Times of India

Keeping up the old tradition alive, Alaskan authorities delivered Thanksgiving Turkey to residents in remote areas of Alaska by airplane this week. Esther Keim, a resident, continued a unique tradition for the third year by piloting a small plane and dropping frozen turkeys to families living in isolated, roadless areas.
Alaska’s limited road access makes travel challenging, especially in winter when roads are covered with snow and residents have to rely on planes, snowmobiles, and frozen rivers. Keim grew up on a homestead where a family friend airdropped turkeys and newspapers during the holidays.
Motivated by a family struggling to find Thanksgiving dinner, Keim revived the tradition a few years ago. “They were telling me that a squirrel for dinner did not split very far between three people,” Keim recalled. “At that moment, I thought … ‘I’m going to airdrop them a turkey,'” she added.

Social media posts have helped her expand her efforts. Keim delivered 32 turkeys this year, funded by donations through Facebook. She wraps the turkeys in plastic bags and stores them in her truck until delivery. However, weather conditions result in delays in deliveries.
Dave and Christina Luce, living 45 miles northwest of Anchorage, are among the recipients. The 90-minute snowmobile ride to the nearest town has become problematic for the senior citizen. “I’m 80 years old now, so we make fewer and fewer trips,” Dave Luce said. “The adventure has sort of gone out of it.” The delivered turkey will feed them and several neighbors. “It makes a great Thanksgiving,” Dave Luce said. “She’s been a real sweetheart, and she’s been a real good friend,” he added.
Keim flies up to 100 miles from her base north of Anchorage to deliver the turkeys, sometimes with a “turkey dropper” assisting. She contacts families beforehand and waits for them to come outside before dropping the birds to ensure they are easily found, particularly in deep snow. “We won’t drop the turkey until we see them come out of the house or the cabin, because if they don’t see it fall, they’re not going to know where to look,” she said.
While a ham has been lost, no turkeys have been damaged, as per Keim. “As far as precision and hitting our target, I am definitely not the best aim,” she joked. “I’ve gotten better, but I have never hit a house, a building, person or dog,” she added.
Keim’s long-term goal is to establish a nonprofit to expand her deliveries statewide and include other items for children. “There’s so many kids out in the villages,” she said. “It would be cool to maybe add a stuffed animal or something they can hold.”