A cell phone. Medicine. A birth certificate. For many of us, these are things we carry in a pocket or keep in a drawer. For some Alaskans, they are barriers to help, to healthcare, to housing.
Without a phone, a neighbor experiencing homelessness misses an appointment. Someone who can’t cover a copay goes without medicine and gets sick. A family missing paperwork for one of their children is turned away from shelter. Sometimes the small things really do mean the most.
Sixty dollars bought a phone that kept someone connected to services. Fifty cents filled a prescription. Thirty-five dollars covered a document fee so a family could move into housing. The Good Neighbor Fund exists for exactly these moments.
It meets people where they are.
In Anchorage, a local team of outreach specialists responds every day to neighbors in crisis. Now they carry one more tool: a discretionary pool of funds for immediate support. In just a few steps, food, clothing, transportation, and more can reach someone before a basic need becomes an emergency.
The fund is the brainchild of Kenny Petersen (Allen & Petersen), a labor of love rooted in the faith-outreach work he began years ago. He once met a man experiencing homelessness and simply asked, “How can I help you?” He is still asking. Seeing the challenges around his Midtown business, his answer stays practical: talk to your neighbors, ask what they need, and help remove the barriers in their way. And always bring socks — one pair to wear, one to share.
It’s about partnership.
Kenny built relationships across nonprofits, businesses, the municipality, and the faith community. When COVID hit and needs climbed, he gave personally — sleeping bags, rides, phones — as the Sullivan shelter wound down. Afterward, steady demand and committed partners came together around a shared goal: a dedicated fund, and a fiscal sponsor to hold it.
Last fall, the Alaska Community Foundation (ACF) helped that community goal take shape, setting up a fund that gets goods and services to neighbors faster and more easily. Guided by a volunteer committee, it follows a few simple rules: 100% of every gift goes to direct support — no fees*; approved outreach workers can draw on it; and recipients make a plan and, in turn, help others.
Your gift matters.
Open since November, the fund has raised more than $187,000 from hundreds of neighbors giving what they can, and has put roughly $90,000 toward healthcare, transportation, housing, and other essentials. In June, supporters gathered in Cuddy Park to share results — the Mayor, Anchorage police and fire, outreach workers, donors, and recipients among them. At the podium, Kenny smiled: “This used to be my fund. Last year it became your fund. Thank you.”
The Good Neighbor Fund is an easy way to make a difference today. Gifts of every size are welcome , one-time or monthly, and the impact shows up each time someone who receives help feels hope. Asked about the future, Kenny talks about multiplying support and transforming community, and ends where he always does: “The goal is to end hopelessness.”
*100% of every gift goes straight to the work; any administrative costs are covered by a private donor.