The majority of Alaskans rely on food and goods imported through the Port of Anchorage, which began operations in 1961. The aging port has infrastructure that could fail if an extreme weather event were to impact the city. Therefore, citizens face a constant threat of food shortages if the port were to become damaged or inoperable after one of these events.
Anchorage is one of 10 cities that took part in the Cities of Service Resilience AmeriCorps program. Through this program, the city built and is sustaining resilience in low-income communities by developing education initiatives that use volunteer-built greenhouses to teach students and families how to grow food in their own backyards. Learn more about results of their efforts.
Anchorage has been a member of the Cities of Service Coalition since 2015.
Mayor Dave Bronson
Anchorage, Alaska is home to Dave Bronson after a two-year corporate commitment that turned into a love for Alaska lasting 31 years and counting! Born June 26, 1958 in Superior, Wisconsin, Dave earned his Bachelor of Science Degree in Agricultural Economics from the University of Wisconsin.
After graduation, he was an Active-Duty Air Force Pilot from 1981 to 1990, USAF Reserves Plans Officer from 1992 to 1993, and an Alaska ANG Maintenance Officer and Pilot from 1993 to 2005 while balancing a commercial airline pilot career from 1990 to 2020.
While flying military aircraft, he met and married Debra. They have been married for 37 years and have raised two children, Katie and Zach. His love for The Last Frontier includes land, air, and water as he enjoys exploring Alaska while hunting, fishing,and flying to remote areas.
What's Happening in Anchorage
“Cities of Service is the reason I came up to Anchorage. They have helped guide us with curriculum and ideas on what we can do to work toward a more resilient, more sustainable community, not just from a municipal and government level, but also from a ground-up community level.”
Resilience AmeriCorps VISTA Alumnus Jared James