Pages 834-835 in N. Murphy and A. Parkinson, eds. Circumpolar Health 2012: Circumpolar Health Comes Full Circle. Proceedings of the 15th International Congress on Circumpolar Health, Fairbanks, Alaska, USA, August 5-10, 2012. International Journal of Circumpolar Health 2013;72 (Suppl 1):834-835
School of Social Work, University of Alaska Anchorage, Anchorage, Alaska
Source
Pages 834-835 in N. Murphy and A. Parkinson, eds. Circumpolar Health 2012: Circumpolar Health Comes Full Circle. Proceedings of the 15th International Congress on Circumpolar Health, Fairbanks, Alaska, USA, August 5-10, 2012. International Journal of Circumpolar Health 2013;72 (Suppl 1):834-835
The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) defines food security as "consistent, dependable access by all members [of a family] at all times to enough food for an active, healthy life" (1). In the arctic, food (in)security refers to 3 distinct
discourses: the threat climate change poses to subsistence foods, the threat disasters pose to reliable supplies of southern foods and the threat poverty poses to the ability to purchase healthy food.
In this study, poverty-related hunger is the focus. We report findings from interviews with urban Alaskans who use food pantries. In partnership with Food Bank of Alaska, Alaska's state-wide charitable anti-hunger organisation, we expand on the statistical findings of the 2010 Anchorage Hunger Study (2), which is part of a national US descriptive study of people who use pantries, soup
kitchens and emergency shelters.