The village of New Stuyahok, just northeast of Dillingham, will receive $33,000 towards food security initiatives.
It’s one of 34 recipients across Alaska awarded a total of $1.5 million last Monday as part of a Food Security Grant Program. The money is being distributed through the state’s Division of Community and Regional Affairs.
According to a press release from Alaska’s Department of Commerce, Community, and Economic Development, the Food Security Grant Program aims to address emergency food security needs in the state. The department says that the funds are intended to purchase and distribute bulk foods to individuals in underserved communities.
The DCRA began efforts to distribute emergency food security funds in the spring of 2024. In early summer, the Food Security Grant Program was approved as part of an appropriation signed into law by Gov. Mike Dunleavy.
Alaska has one of the highest rates of food insecurity in the nation, factoring in both subsistence and commercial foods, and food insecurity in rural communities has been exacerbated by climate change disrupting wild harvests. That's according to the USDA.
In the funding announcement, Dunleavy said that the program will help with immediate needs, and “efforts to implement long-term solutions to food security in Alaska will continue to be a priority.”
The New Stuyahok Village Council met yesterday to discuss how they will handle the grant distribution and its impact on the community's food security efforts.
