Program areas at North Star Community Foundation
The Chena Tool Library is a concept adopted from other communities, a community repository of tools primarily for do-it-yourselfers to be able to finish personal projects, renovations or general maintenance. There is an annual tool swap in the spring that draws in a thousand people looking to divest of or acquire tools and small machinery. They table at home shows and partner with Home Depot and Lowes for classes on how to get projects completed. Membership is required to rent tools, and the member list is growing.
Friends of Fox Spring has a unique private-public partnership with the State of Alaska Department of Transportation. The DOT keeps the water resource on their books, which allows residents free access to water year round. In exchange, the Friends group raises the money to repair and maintain the water resource for public access. Otherwise, DOT would sell the asset, which would jeopardize having water available from a spring that has supplied the public for over 100 years.
Santa's Helpers is a dedicate group of volunteers who ramp up activity the day after Thanksgiving, conducting toy donation drives and asking for cash donations for purchasing holiday food boxes for over 350 families in need. They collect referrals, cross-referencing with two other major assistance operations, then distribute toys and food to the approved families via a volunteer call to the community. Over 100 volunteers arrive to collect, then distribute family packages. They have garnered local press and social media coverage that make the month-long effort quite the success.
Dark Winter Nights produces storytelling of real life events of people living in Fairbanks.
Fairbanks Housing and Homeless Coalition is a collective of social service agencies in Fairbanks that conducts homeless census counts.
Northwoods Book Arts Guild creates books as art.
Fairbanks Hopelink is a start up to provide a low-barrier warming shelter in extreme cold conditions in Fairbanks, Alaska. Operations begin 2024.
Other sponsored charitable programs centered in Fairbanks, including historical restorations, LGBTQ support, and recreational parks.