Hawaiʻi is approaching four years since its first COVID-19 case, and food insecurity among residents continues to be a lingering problem.
Soon after the start of the pandemic in 2020, unemployment in the state spiked to record levels before falling back below the U.S. average. Similarly, visitor arrivals are approaching pre-pandemic levels after tourism all but came to a halt.
Amy Marvin Miller, president and CEO of Hawaiʻi Foodbank, said the organization is still serving about 50% more people than it did prior to COVID-19.
The number of people served in June, she said, was the highest since the same time two years ago.
Inflation appears to be the biggest factor.
“Initially we thought, well, maybe these are folks who needed help during the pandemic and they kind of got back on their feet, and inflation is hitting them,” Miller said.
“But we're getting folks that have never had to ask for help before. And they work one job, two jobs sometimes, and they have always been able to make ends meet. And the cost of food is just tipping them over the edge," she said.
U.S. Department of Agriculture statistics show that the cost of groceries grew about 25% since the start of the pandemic.
But the end of federal support for welfare programs like the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP, which provides food assistance to low-income households, has likely also contributed to the problem.
Emergency allotments for SNAP, formerly known as food stamps, allowed participants to get maximum benefits. But those ended in February.
The state Board of Land and Natural Resources recently approved a lease to Hawaiʻi Foodbank for land in the Waipahu area. The new distribution and receiving warehouse will increase the food bank’s storage capacity.
