ANCHORAGE — Officials say a new system that allows Alaskans to find out if they are eligible for food stamps via text message will help the state reach more hungry families.
Kathleen Van Voorhis, Director of Food Programs at the Food Bank of Alaska, said it only takes a series of text messages to figure out if someone qualifies for Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits, KTUU-TV reported on Monday.
“The application is a 28-page application, and the texting is about 10 texts to figure out if you qualify,” said Van Voorhis. “It really helps cut down on time for people, and it allows our specialists to let people know if they qualify right off the bat.”
The system is the result of a partnership between Chicago-based company mRelief and the Anchorage technology group Code for Anchorage.
About 27 percent of Alaskans who are eligible for SNAP benefits do not apply because they think the application process is too time-consuming, according to officials.
“It’s often daunting for people to look at (the application) and find the time to sit down and really go through it, knowing that they may be ineligible at the end,” said to Cara Durr, also with Food Bank of Alaska.
The new text messaging system helps to relieve some of that stress, said Durr.
“They might just see this one day and go, ‘Oh, I can text right now,’” Durr said. “So from our perspective, it’s great. It’s connecting more people with the program and providing them with an important resource.”
The state would get an additional $66 million in federal funding if all Alaskans who are eligible for the program applied and started receiving benefits, said mRelief co-founder Rose Afriyie.
