Food for Thought Alaska (FFTA) originated in 2018 as a local food blog written by our founder Ziona Brownlow. The Food for Thought Alaska blog and social media presence promoted the empowerment of the Anchorage community’s dollar vote by highlighting small, locally owned, businesses and their stories.
After the pandemic, the “shop small & eat local” culture hosted in our foodie community quickly morphed into a civic call to action. While blogging paused, our founders vision shifted from small businesses and restaurants to the employees forced into unemployment, to the families who were just getting by before the shutdowns, and to the alarming increase of homelessness service use in Anchorage. Quickly becoming aware of the barriers accompanied with accessing resources, especially since the pandemic, Ziona knew there was an important conversation to bring to the table about food security in Anchorage.
Food for Thought has grown into a grassroots cooperative with the mission to feed neighbors, increase awareness of food insecurities in Alaska, and amplify community voices