Hunger Action Month: 1 in 8 Alaskans is food insecure

ANCHORAGE, Alaska (KTUU) - One in eight Alaskans — or approximately 13% — does not have enough food for a healthy and active lifestyle, according to the Food Bank of Alaska.

“A common misconception is that food insecurity, or the fight against hunger, is going much better than it is,” Chief Philanthropy Officer with the food bank Daniel Bentle said. “And that maybe the food insecurity rate was at its height during or immediately after the [COVID] pandemic, when that just simply is not the case.”

Bentle says that misconception is causing a drop in support.

“Food insecurity is rising,” Bentle said. “It’s not declining, but what is declining is support. That is giving, and that’s in large part due to a lack of awareness around just the magnitude of the challenge, and the assumption that food insecurity was, again, at its height during the pandemic, and as a result, we’re seeing just less in the way of monetary and in-kind donations.”

September is Hunger Action Month and there are several events planned by the Food Bank of Alaska, including Restaurant Week and its Anti-Hunger Network Conference.

Copyright 2024 KTUU. All rights reserved.