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 the remnants of a typhoon that wiped out stockpiles of fish and fishing equipment. The backlog began last August, and the situation is especially concerning in a state where communities in far-flung areas, including Alaska Native villages, are often not connected by roads. The state's sluggish response has led to lawsuits alleging failures in the administration of the food stamp program, and lawmakers have responded with emergency funding to hire staff to handle the crush of cases as food banks have reported the highest level of demand they have seen.