As board chair of Food Bank of Alaska, I have the privilege of seeing how generosity moves from a decision made in a boardroom or around a lunch table to real support for Alaskans. At this year’s We Believe fundraising luncheon, that generosity filled the room.
It was reflected in the business leaders who sponsored the event, the board members who contributed their own gifts, and every guest who raised a plate to help provide food for neighbors across Alaska.
Behind every impact story is someone who chose to give.
What Your Support Makes Possible
Food Bank of Alaska distributed 10.1 million pounds of food across approximately 700,000 square miles in 2025. That is the equivalent of about 8.4 million meals reaching communities throughout our state.
That work depends on an extraordinary network of donors, volunteers, nonprofit organizations, and transportation partners. Nearly 2 million pounds of food moved through the Port of Alaska with support from Matson and TOTE. Volunteers contributed 18,860 hours, a 35% increase over the previous year.
Those numbers are significant, but the real impact is found in what they represent: parents putting dinner on the table, older Alaskans maintaining their health and independence, and communities receiving help after disasters and unexpected disruptions.
Food Bank of Alaska is also purchasing more food than ever before. Three years ago, purchased food accounted for about 10% of the food we distributed. Today, it accounts for approximately 20%.
Fortunately, our scale and purchasing network allow us to secure food at prices well below what families see at local grocery stores. A full pallet of food, including freight to Anchorage, costs approximately $2,000 and can provide about 1,375 meals.
Your generosity does not simply help us buy food. It helps us purchase strategically, move food efficiently, and reach people across a state where transportation costs can be just as challenging as the cost of the food itself.
Recovery Continues After the Headlines Fade
Jenni Ragland, director of emergency services for The Salvation Army Alaska Division, reminded us that disaster response is rarely short or simple.
When Typhoon Halong disrupted communities across Western Alaska, families lost homes, stored subsistence foods, and access to basic necessities. Food Bank of Alaska, The Salvation Army, and other Alaska Voluntary Organizations Active in Disasters partners worked quickly to provide food, drinking water, and emergency support.
That response continues long after a disaster disappears from the news.
Jenni shared that shipping a $40,000 container of food to Bethel cost an additional $16,000. Even a $300 pallet of water can cost several times that amount to deliver to a remote community.
Her message was clear: Recovery takes time, strong partnerships, and dependable funding.
Food provides more than nourishment during those difficult periods. It offers comfort and stability. It can give a family enough breathing room to begin considering what comes next.
The Hunger We Do Not Always See
One of the most powerful moments of the afternoon came from Sharita Napper, a lifelong Alaskan, project manager, author, illustrator, content creator, and mother of three girls.
Sharita began with a story about a video she once shared online featuring some truly terrible vegan tacos. Her friends saw a funny attempt at cooking. What they did not know was that the ingredients had come from a food bank. What looked like a creative recipe was, in reality, a mother finding a way to make food stretch.
Sharita spoke about the invisibility of hunger. It does not always look the way people expect. It can look like someone working, parenting, smiling, and showing up while quietly worrying about how to afford groceries.
She also shared that her family received food assistance when she was a child. She did not know it at the time. Her mother, aunts, and grandmother created meals filled with joy and made sure the children in their care felt secure.
There were full plates, cousins gathered around the table, favorite board games, and plenty of laughter.
Her story was an important reminder that food assistance does not only feed someone for a day. It protects the experience of childhood. It preserves dignity and strengthens the caregivers working incredibly hard to hold their families together.
As Sharita told the room, a meal is never just a meal. It can mean relief, dignity, stability, and hope.
And, for the record, we will take her advice and politely decline any offers of vegan tacos. 😁
Thank You to Our Generous Sponsors
We Believe event was made possible by companies that chose to invest in the strength and well-being of Alaska communities.
These organizations represent transportation, health care, energy, financial services, Alaska Native corporations, and other essential parts of our state’s economy. Their support demonstrates what philanthropy in Alaska can accomplish when community leaders decide that reliable access to food matters.
Thank You to Our Board
I am especially proud of my fellow Food Bank of Alaska board members, who do much more than provide governance and strategic direction.
Our board members contributed their own gifts during the event and helped inspire additional generosity throughout the room. Their personal investment reflects the leadership our mission requires.
They believe in the strength of Food Bank of Alaska, the reach of our partner network, and the power of donors to create meaningful change.
Every Gift Becomes Part of Someone’s Story
At the We Believe event, we set an ambitious goal: Raise the equivalent of $100,000 to help sustain 3,000 children during the summer or purchase 50 pallets of food.
Together, we exceeded that goal and raised $122,000.
The impact of the event cannot be measured by one fundraising total alone. It is measured in the parent who can prepare dinner without sacrificing another bill. It is measured in the child who never has to know how carefully their caregiver stretched the family’s groceries. It is measured in the rural community receiving food and drinking water when transportation and weather make help difficult to reach.
Those are the giving back stories your generosity creates. Thank you for believing in this mission and in the people Food Bank of Alaska serves. And thank you for choosing to make the hidden realities of hunger visible and for turning that awareness into action.
A Final Thank You 🤎
We are also grateful to the talented people and partners who helped bring the We Believe event to life: photographer Sam Struempler, videographer Joey Barranco, IMIG for audiovisual support, Alaska Pacific University for catering, Green Connections for the centerpieces, and musicians Alex Cruver and Karl Wilhelmi.
