Beginning last fall, thousands of Alaskans waited months to receive assistance from the federal Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, formerly known as food stamps, run by the Alaska Division of Public Assistance. Some families are finally getting the help they need, but the problem isn’t solved. Getting through the old backlog created a new one with thousands of families who need help buying the most basic necessity: food. How is this current backlog being addressed and what are potential answers for long term stability for Alaskans who are food insecure? We’ll hear from people working on answers on this Talk of Alaska.
LISTEN:
HOST: Lori Townsend
GUESTS:
- Deb Etheridge, Director, Alaska Division of Public Assistance
- Andrew Jensen, Policy advisor to Gov. Dunleavy for food and energy security
- Rep. Genevieve Mina, D-Anchorage, representative for District 19
- Cara Durr, Chief of advocacy and public policy, Food Bank of Alaska
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Call 907-550-8422 (Anchorage) or 1-800-478-8255 (statewide) during the live broadcast.
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LIVE Broadcast: Tuesday, October 31 at 10 a.m. on Alaska public radio stations statewide.
Lori Townsend is the chief editor, senior vice president of journalism and senior host for Alaska Public Media. You can send her news tips and program ideas for Talk of Alaska and Alaska Insight at ltownsend@alaskapublic.org or call 907-550-8452. Read more about Lori here.
