Alaskans will not receive SNAP, or food stamp, benefits for November, according to the State Division of Public Assistance, unless the federal government shutdown ends before then.
The state issued October benefits at the end of September, before the government shutdown, but Deb Etheridge, director of the division, said Alaska cannot compensate for the lack of federal funds for November.
“Unfortunately due to the ongoing federal government shutdown, the USDA's food nutrition services has directed all states to stop issuance in November for SNAP benefits because there's no federal funds available,” Etheridge said.
SNAP serves about 66,000 Alaskans. Etheridge said it helps low-income Alaskans buy food they need for good health and the division said the state could not make up for the benefits for technical and logistical reasons.
She said the division will continue adding SNAP beneficiaries during the shutdown and Alaskans who lost food because of ex-Typhoon Halong in western Alaska can apply to get October SNAP benefits re-issued.
The division's eligibility technicians who are at the Alaska Airlines Center and the Egan Center in Anchorage and at the Bethel office can help people get re-issued October benefits, she said.
But Michelle DeWitt, executive director of Bethel Community Services Foundation, said the state’s formal food security safety nets are already stretched thin in the wake of the storm. A pause on SNAP benefits will layer disaster upon disaster.
“This leaves folks with very few formal system resources, and I'm extremely concerned about people being hungry next month, if this announcement is actually carried through,” DeWitt said.
Alaskans in need should reach out to their local food banks for help, she said. She encourages Alaskans with resources to donate money or grocery items to food banks and to donate informally to community members who need food.
“The informal safety net that exists in the Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta for food security is the Yup’ik values of sharing and generosity, so that's a really important aspect of food security,” DeWitt said.
During the 2018 government shutdown, SNAP benefits were released early to prevent a lapse in assistance. Several other states have announced a similar pause in benefits starting in November.