The Food Bank of Alaska is sounding the alarm on increased hunger rates across the state, as detailed in Feeding America’s latest Map the Meal Gap report. The update reveals that 1 in 7 Alaskans and 1 in 5 Alaskan children experience hunger. This marks a significant increase from previous years, underscoring the need in Alaska.
As the hunger relief network adapts to the risen need, the House of Representatives recently passed the “One Big Beautiful Bill Act,” which includes an estimated $300 billion in cuts to SNAP that would include an annual multi-million-dollar cost shift to the state and create additional barriers to access. Feeding America, the largest anti-hunger organization in the country, estimates the SNAP cuts in the bill could take an average of 9.5 billion meals off the table every year.
The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) serves as a critical lifeline for many Alaskans facing food insecurity. Nearly 70,000 Alaskans receive SNAP, with over 64% of recipients are part of families with children.
“Protecting SNAP is not just about preserving a program; it’s about safeguarding the health and well-being of Alaskans,” said Cara Durr, Food Bank of Alaska CEO. “We urge our fellow Alaskans to meet this moment and take action in this critical fight against hunger.”
In response, the Alaska Food Coalition is mobilizing to protect SNAP and calling upon both organizations and individuals to act:
Organizations:
Sign on to the Alaska Food Coalition’s letter to our Senators at our website.
Individuals:
Call toll-free at (800) 708-8229 to leave a message for your Senators and urge them to save SNAP.
For more information or to support hunger relief statewide, visit foodbankofalaska.org or contact:
Rachael Miller
Chief Advocacy Officer
Food Bank of Alaska
907-222-3111
Food Bank of Alaska
Anchorage, AK
In Alaska, Democrats are in total control of the House and the Senate
As you read this article and reflect on the spending bills pushed and passed by the majorities this last session, one should be wondering what in the world they were thinking about.
They knew the predicament that Snap and Medicaid were in before the session even started. They knew the past Federal Stimulus programs were running out and they’d be responsible to pick up the costs. They did this to themselves when they grabbed the carrot off the Federal bribe stick as far back as Governor Walker and Health Commissioner Valerie Davidson. PFD also went on a ten year theft run.
What kind of legislator passes increased spending when they know they definitely don’t have the funds to even maintain a simple status quo through flat funding?? What kind of grandstanding person increases School Funding? Who thought paying for the $180 Million Constitutional Supplemental Bill with an unapproved funding sources was legal or even a good idea??
This should have been a priority from the UGF, not middle of the night burglary from the Higher Investment Funds and AIDEA accounts. What they did to come up with the funding is just as illegal as throwing a drift net for Kings during a closed period on the Yukon or Kuskokwim. The difference being Fish and Game Troopers with throw you and I in jail, while a legislator gets paid over $1,000 a day to do illegal activities.
Senators Hoffman and Stevens have repeatedly stated they don’t have the funds for the Governor’s proposed budget … yet they increased proposed spending for K-12 by over $300 million of which $270 Million came straight through an increased theft of your families PFD … you know, the very same people that they’re crying tears over possibly having less food stamps and health care for … Not good, but a heck of a Union incentizer when it comes time for campaign donations to flow in next year.
Then when crossing that hard line in the sand drawn a couple years ago by above named Senators of never paying less than a PFD of 75/25, suddenly becomes a 83/17 PFD, a $1000 dollar pay out and a $2900 THEFT from little old ladies and babies … they go ahead and double down on their standard practice of not following the law, by using a Binding Caucus vote in the House and Senate to pass an unbalanced and illegally funded budget that doubles down on illegality by totally ignoring our Constitution that states one third of the budget has to be spent on the Senate’s Capital Budget.
Fact is the Senate only spent $3 Billion out of a $15.6 Billion budget, which equates to only 19%. Hmmm that a long ways from 33% which now legally requires the Governor to fix through line item cuts to the Houses Operating Budget.
You can see the game being played by the two majorities in real time. Every Democrat and RINO is setting the Governor up to be the bad guy, simply because they’re playing to the Union for campaign donations next year and most of all they don’t care about the law or the Constitution or even the oath of office they took which binds them to do no fiduciary harm … instead they put it on the Governor to cut 14%, basically $2 Billion from the Houses overspend, to meet Alaska’s Constitutional requirements.
Next year’s election can’t get here quick enough to suit me.
Willy Keppel
Quinhagak, AK
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