Food

Hawaiʻi Foodbank is set to receive $5.5 million from the state Legislature. The funding comes from Act 310 – the Legislature's grant program that allocates $50 million in relief to nonprofits impacted by federal funding cuts.

Hawaiʻi Appleseed recommended that the Honolulu City Council work on four areas to improve food security on Oʻahu: disaster planning, summer feeding programs for children, kūpuna programs, and direct funding for food banks.

The second food insecurity study by the Hawaiʻi Foodbank indicates that 32% of local households didn’t have enough food between mid-2024 and mid-2025 — up 3 percentage points from the organization’s first report covering 2023.

A groundbreaking ceremony was held at Whitmore Village for an agriculture and food hub meant to help Hawaiʻi businesses and feed students with locally produced food.

The organization reports an increase in need over the past three months and prepares for continued growing demands as government shutdown continues and holidays approach.

This comes amid continued uncertainty of benefit distribution for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, also known as SNAP.

Staff and volunteers at The Pantry in Kalihi create more food assistance options for furloughed federal workers; Kauaʻi writer Jonathon Medieros shares the intention behind his poem "To the People on the Cruise Ships"

Uncertainty surrounding the distribution of SNAP benefits and ongoing furloughs during the government shutdown is causing multiple challenges for federal employees. HPR’s DW Gibson started his week with a visit to an Oʻahu food pantry.

Each library will be accepting donations of canned goods and other non-perishable items during its normal operating hours.

The Conversation heard from a number of listeners about their SNAP concerns, including one caller who asked to remain anonymous.