Anchorage is home to a new free farm stand. Resident Theresa Brown started the stand in mid-August and it quickly grew in popularity. She said she created the farm stand for Anchorage residents who need to stretch their food budgets.
“It's single moms. It's people who have homes, who have jobs, they just can't get to the end of the month because prices are more expensive,” she said. “It's a lot of just hard-working people.”
Brown and volunteers provide free, fresh produce at the stand Tuesday afternoons in Fairview and Wednesdays in Spenard. The stand is supplied by both local farmers and neighborhood gardeners who provide a wide range of fruits and vegetables. Volunteers will even cook samples when the stand is open and hand out freshly made plates to customers.
The stand is sponsored by Yardicopia, a program of Alaska Community Action on Toxics and Anchor Gardens, an organization that develops community gardens and teaches gardening across Anchorage. Brown said many new gardeners who have partnered with Anchor Gardens to plant fresh foods are donating their excess produce to the stand.
“Most of them had no idea what to expect or how good these produce, and that's stressful to a new gardener: ‘What do I do with 50 zucchinis?’” she said. “And we're saying, ‘Bring it to us.’”
By the end of August, farmers and gardeners had donated over 2,000 pounds of produce to the stand.
Brown explained that volunteers have been vital to the success of the stand. She said she tries to make sure it’s a good experience for her crew and it seems to be working.
“All of my volunteers end up staying longer, and they come back each week because it's a fun atmosphere. We have music playing, we're talking, we're eating, we're cooking, where we're legitimately interested in the people that are there,” she said.
Brown said that the stand will close for the season on Tuesday but plans on bringing it back next summer. She hopes to convince even more Anchorage community members to contribute to the project in the coming years.