#OperationAlaska — Taco Bell Airlifting 10,000 Tacos to Soothe Saddened Alaskan Town

Remember Bethel, Alaska — that town that was victim to a hoax a few weeks back that led them to believe their 6,200 residents would soon be receiving a Taco Bell in their town? Yeah, Taco Bell is hooking them up with 10,000 free tacos.

For those unfamiliar, the incident dates back to mid June, where a few residents had constructed a genius prank that led town residents to believe they would finally be able to indulge in all those Doritos Locos Tacos everyone around the world is talking about.

The prank, at the time, was bolstered by fake flier distribution, complete with a fake phone number, website and a ‘Coming Soon’ sign that looked all too real. For a town that only has one fast food spot (Subway), news like that can spread pretty quickly. For residents of Bethel, the closest Taco Bell is 400 miles away in Anchorage. That’s a hell of a drive for a Cheesy Gordita Crunch.

Shortly after the prank was gaining headway among town residents, local radio station KYUK confirmed that it was all a hoax. After news made it back to Taco Bell HQ that the town’s residents were victim to such a tragedy (note sarcasm, but also note sympathy), their PR team seemed to jump at the opportunity to do right by their hopeful new audience.

Just a few short weeks later, Taco Bell began to fly in all the ingredients necessary for some Taco Bell classics from Anchorage. Ingredients include 900 pounds of beef, 300 pounds of lettuce, 150 pounds of cheese, 500 pounds of sour cream, and 300 pounds of tomatoes — enough to make 10,000 tacos.

Taco Bell just Tweeted us the following picture hours ago, noting that “We’re here and setting up.”

The brand is calling the air lift situation #OperationAlaska, and the stunt is a humorous nod to government and Red Cross support missions that occur with actual tragedy-ridden towns following unfortunate natural disasters.

But let’s be serious, a town without a Taco Bell? That’s a pretty natural disaster.

Taco Bell team members have even been outfitted with Operation Alaska jackets. Bethel residents, hope you enjoy that Taco Bell: