UAF Fairbanks Tall Timbers Series 2024: An Evening with Samantha Kirstein

The Fairbanks Tall Timber Series honors those who have served the Fairbanks community well. Join veteran newsman Robert Hannon as he interviews Samantha Kirstein. Samantha Kirstein arrived in Fairbanks just before President Eisenhower signed into law the official proclamation admitting Alaska as the 49th State on July 7, 1958. She attended Main Jr. High School, Lathrop High School, and UAF. Sam spent her next 20 years in Alaska’s bush and rural Alaska villages. The family business was wilderness lodges for hunting and adventure guiding. She raised and homeschooled four children. When Sam returned to Fairbanks, she was hired as the Executive Director of the Fairbanks Food Bank, a role she served for 25 years. Sam wasn’t ready for retirement, so she has continued her passion and commitment to the Food Bank and is currently the Community Development Director. Under her guidance and direction, the Food Bank went from collecting 300,000 pounds of surplus food to currently collecting and distributing four million pounds of local surplus food. In 2007, Sam was named a Woman of Distinction by the Farthest North Girl Scout Council. For Sam, every day is a blessing. “In our town, neighbors really do help neighbors.”