Alaska Hunger Crisis Deepens Amid Food Stamp Woes

Thousands of Alaskans have been waiting for months for food stamp benefits, worsening a long-standing hunger crisis exacerbated by the pandemic, inflation, and a typhoon that wiped out stockpiles of fish and fishing equipment. The backlog began last August, and the situation is especially concerning in far-flung areas, including Alaska Native villages, where food must be shipped in by barge or airplane, making the cost of even basic goods exorbitant. The state's sluggish response has led to lawsuits alleging failures in the administration of food stamps and aid programs for low-income Alaskans. Lawmakers have approved emergency funding to hire staff to handle the crush of cases as food banks report the highest level of demand they have seen.