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| Overview: Matanuska Maid Dairy, and our current and retired employees are actively involved in efforts to improve the quality of life in the communities in which we do business. Support of communities has been a basic tenet of Mat Maid’s business philosophy from the company’s founding. The sense of community that we promote in Alaska is deeply rooted in the traditions and values of the founding families that created the Matanuska Valley Cooperative in Palmer, Alaska in 1936. During those early years a Community Hall was the center of social life. Matanuska Maid Dairy’s community involvement is focused primarily on programs that promote a safe and nurturing family environment. We are concerned about the health of our children, and support programs helping them achieve their personal best. Additionally, we support anti-hunger efforts, empowerment of individuals, and environmental programs promoting clean air and water. Contributions include sponsorships, Mat Maid products for events, Mat Maid logo merchandise for fund-raisers, used equipment and employee volunteers. Projects: Alaska High School Hall of Fame / Alaska School Activities Association (ASAA) The Alaska School Activities Association is a statewide non-profit organization, founded to direct and promote sanctioned interscholastic sports, academic and fine arts programs. To celebrate the 50th anniversary of ASAA, and recognize a half-century of outstanding academic and athletic achievement of Alaskan students, ASAA established the Alaska High School Hall of Fame. On March 19th, 2006 Matanuska Maid Dairy was proud to sponsor the ASAA’s first annual induction ceremony of 17 of Alaska’s finest high school athletes into the Hall of Fame; four other program participants were also inducted. Matanuska Maid is proud to be an ongoing partner with ASAA, and the ongoing sponsor of its annual Induction Ceremonies. Arctic Winter Games In March 2006 the Arctic Winter Games were held on the Kenai Peninsula. Dean Hamburg, who had assisted with food preparation for the 2004 games in Alberta Canada, and Dan Hastings, student nutrition coordinator at Kenai Central High school, were co-chairs of the daunting task of providing 50,000 meals for the athletes. Matanuska Maid Dairy, wanting to support the games and athletes, made a number of in-kind contributions, including 31,500 ½ pints of 1% white milk and chocolate milk, as well as 8-oz. yogurts – at a value of about $11,000. YWCA Matanuska Maid Dairy has been a sponsor of the YWCA Anchorage’s Young Women of Achievement program since it began in 1999. On April 25, 2006, they held their 7th Annual Young Women of Achievement Awards Luncheon at the Egan Civic and Convention Center in Anchorage; Matanuska Maid Dairy sponsored the event. Joseph Van Treeck welcomed the attendees: “… We are honored to be a part of such an inspiring program that honors these young women. Each successful young woman we honor today has overcome significant obstacles in her life, and each of you are on the path to a strong start in life’s journey. Congratulations to each of you – You are the future!” The honored young women, included Morgan Downing (Dimond HS), Bethany Hardt (Service HS), Barbara Heintzelman (Chugiak HS), Brenna O’Tierney (South HS), Bless Paquette (Child in Transition), Kelly Prewitt (West HS), Hye Rim Stuhr, (Eagle River HS), Jessica Warner (Bartlett HS), and Whitney Yang (East HS). Follow that carton! – UAA and the use of RFID tags Beginning in 2004, Matanuska Maid has been working with UAA on a multi-million dollar US Department of Defense (USDOD) project involving the use of radio frequency identification (RFID). The USDOD’s interest in using RFID tags to track ready to eat meals led to Mat Maid’s involvement, which provided researchers the opportunity to study real-world applications with the tags. Depending on needs, an RFID tag can be developed to provide as little information as where something is. On the other hand, with Mat Maid, it can be used to log temperatures, and identify location, product type, size, expiration date, inventory volume, and more. Mat Maid’s participation in the project is a valuable opportunity to study how or if RFIDs are affected by transmitting through liquids. The study is a good opportunity for Mat Maid as well, as customers of theirs such as the military will require the use of RFID tags from their suppliers beginning in 2007. Back to top |