When Esther Sanderlin, a local pilot from rural Skwentna and West Susitna Valley, Alaska, learned that some of her neighbors were planning to share a single squirrel for Thanksgiving dinner, she decided to take action.
Contrary to the common belief that turkeys can’t fly, Sanderlin demonstrated otherwise. With small single-engine planes being a typical means of transportation in her area, she felt inspired to help.
“I was visiting our newest neighbor, and they mentioned splitting a squirrel three ways for dinner, which didn’t seem like enough,” Sanderlin recounted to Alaska’s NBC affiliate KTUU just before Thanksgiving. “In that moment, I thought, ‘I’m going to airdrop them a turkey for Thanksgiving,’ especially since I recently rebuilt my first airplane with my dad and can do that quite easily.”
Sanderlin fondly recalled her childhood experiences of receiving air-dropped turkeys when the roads became impassable in late autumn. Motivated by these memories and the squirrel dinner news, she decided to give back to her community.
This year, she plans to drop off 30 to 40 turkeys, ensuring her neighbors have plenty of food to celebrate the holiday with friends and family. Fortunately, she doesn’t need parachutes for the turkeys; the soft snow below and the frozen state of the birds make for a safe landing.
Looking ahead, Sanderlin expressed her desire to transform her turkey drops into a nonprofit organization so she can reach even more communities across Alaska in the future.