About

REVIVE ALASKA COMMUNITY SERVICES

Revive Alaska Community Services (RACS) is an organization incorporated in the state of Alaska. Our organization is a multi-faceted nonprofit established to primarily meet all vulnerable Alaskans' physical, spiritual, and emotional needs and serve as a hub for counseling, comfort, and hope for the hurting in Alaska. Our target is to serve the needs of the most vulnerable among us (children, seniors, the working poor, and less privileged). Our social justice efforts aim to facilitate racial reconciliation, healing, equality, and empowerment for the Black/minority (BIPOC) communities. We also partner with other agencies in charitable causes worldwide and provide emergency responses during disasters. Our programs include:

Food Pantry

RACS food pantry is the only active food pantry located in the heart of South Anchorage, serving the middle class, and working poor. According to Feeding America (2018), there were 30,084 food-insecure people in Anchorage Muni as of 2018, among which were 11,790 children. The Anchorage food insecurity rate was 11.5% among adults, 16.1% among children, and 10% among seniors, whereas the annual food shortage shortfall was $21,500,000. The COVID-19 pandemic badly hit working Anchorage residents, and the middle class began to struggle due to the loss of jobs and businesses. Hence, more hunger among hard-working Anchorage residents and the need for more food distribution.

Many families that are struggling to make ends meet have found help by getting food from our pantry. We serve about fifty families per week, distributing approximately 1,500 pounds of food monthly to Anchorage residents. This program is open to the public, free of charge, and is advertised through word of mouth, our website, social media, and through announcements and bulletins in local churches.

Child in Transition Program

We have also come alongside Alaska School Districts to support the Child-in-Transition (CIT) Program during this COVID-19 crisis. These are children who are facing homelessness with their families. These children are not labeled as homeless to protect their identity and that of their families. They are in between finding a permanent location for housing or in transition. Most of these children come from families facing severe hardships, challenges, loss of jobs, and life struggles. Unfortunately, these vulnerable children have been caught in a web of circumstances beyond their control. Within the past year, the Anchorage school district experienced an influx of children in this category. Our goal is to provide $50 grocery gift cards per month to approximately five hundred families with children in this category in Anchorage. So far, we have supported only thirty families.

Transitional Housing Program

RACS offers transitional housing for homeless individuals. The program is designed to benefit those who need assistance finding employment and beginning to live independently again. We plan to identify, borrow, lease, purchase or repurpose a government surplus property suitable for meeting the needs of this program.

Bridge the Gap Initiative

In 2020 we organized a statewide prayer for racial reconciliation and launched the Bridge the Gap Initiative. The primary aim of the Bridge the Gap Initiative is to address racial reconciliation, healing, equality, and equity in Alaska. The mission of the BTG initiative is to interface with both the government and private sectors to identify areas of racial inequality and take adequate and appropriate action to remedy such anomalies while empowering the BIPOC community through capacity building to harness new opportunities. The scope of the foundation will cover all races that have suffered racial injustice, particularly African Americans and Native Alaskans.

COVID-19 Response

From the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, Revive Alaska Community Services (RACS) has been at the forefront of mobilizing and directing resources to the most vulnerable among us. In response to the pandemic, RACS initiated a coalition of faith leaders across the state and formed the Alaska Faith Leaders COVID-19 Task Force which supplied a pool of resources to help mitigate the COVID-19 pandemic across Alaska. In addition, the Task Force collaborated with the state government and other nonprofit agencies to alleviate the COVID-19 crisis.

Help Me Heal Now counseling.

RACS offers counseling services for people with emotional, behavioral, and relationship issues. We offer these services to families and individuals. We are available for counseling appointments Tuesday and Thursday from 12:00 pm to 6:00 pm. Appointments are scheduled through email, phone calls, and in person. We plan to hire a current volunteer as a full-time counselor with a Master's in Family Counseling. This activity is advertised through social media, word of mouth, and our website.

Women's Support Services

RACS currently provides support services for women in need. The goal of this service is to help women experiencing hardships such as: abuse, domestic violence, sex trafficking, homelessness, addiction, and unemployment. These services include assistance with community resource referrals, finding a job, entering a recovery program, obtaining suitable housing, completing court paperwork, and communicating with the Alaska Office of Child Services.

In addition, we meet the most important need of these women by providing or connecting them to immediate and safe lodging accommodations for those in emergency situations. As part of this service, RACS provides transportation to a hotel or safe house, funds for up to 3 days of lodging, and basic life necessities such as food, water, and toiletries. The number of individuals we provide emergency housing for will increase over time. This activity is open to the public, free of charge, and is advertised through word of mouth, our website, social media, and through announcements and bulletins in local churches.

General Charity and Community Services

There are diverse needs in our communities and beyond. Therefore, our organization is committed to mobilizing various churches and ministries in Alaska to express the love of Christ to our communities as the corporate body of Christ in Alaska and beyond.

We aim to serve as a clearinghouse for faith-based organizations and a community resource for spiritual support for all Alaskans.