HUNGER IN HAWAI‘I
Prepared for the Hawai‘i Community Foundation & the Stupski
Foundation
September 2016

 Table of Contents
Hunger in Hawai‘i: an overview..................................................1
A Historical Context...........................................................................1
About This Report..............................................................................1
Summary of Findings.........................................................................2

Hunger in Hawai‘i: the state of the problem..............................3
Who Goes Hungry in Hawaii?............................................................3
Poverty................................................................................................4
“Food Insecurity”...............................................................................4
Cost of Living.....................................................................................5
Proximity to Healthy Food..................................................................5
County Comparisons..........................................................................6
Hawai‘i and the Bay Area...................................................................7

The Fight Against Hunger: Hawai‘i landscape analysis.............8
Food Assistance..................................................................................9
Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program - SNAP...............................9
National School Lunch Program, School Breakfast Program, Summer
Meals...................................................................................................... 14
Other Government Programs..................................................................16
Food Distribution.............................................................................17
Food Recovery..................................................................................19
Food Accessibility.............................................................................21

Ending Hunger: solutions for food secure islands...................26
Fight Poverty = Fight Hunger..........................................................26
Work Together..................................................................................26
Build Food Systems = Increase Supply + Demand..........................26

Appendices................................................................................27
Appendix A: Works Cited, Literature & Data Sources.....................27
Appendix B: Interview List...............................................................34

 Hunger in Hawai‘i: an overview
A Historical Context
‘Ai – or food – was sacred in ancient Hawai‘i. And ‘aina – the Hawaiian word
for land – translates into “that with nourishes” and reflects the deep
connection between indigenous people and the land. Respect and care for the
earth was deeply woven into all aspects of society. Food held religious
significance, served as economic currency, and fruits of the land and sea were
essential to human survival on the world’s most isolated land mass
Waves of immigration in the 19th and 20th centuries brought food traditions
that have become Hawai‘i staples, emblematic of Asian cultural roots. Today
there are many examples of food as a centerpiece of gatherings and
celebrations– no first birthday baby lu‘au is complete without traditional
Hawaiian food, lunar new year brings Chinese fare front and center, summer
bon dance season showcases Okinawan favorites. In Hawai‘i, where families
and communities gather around food, these traditions are building blocks for
our islands to work toward a future where no one goes hungry.
Despite these strengths, certain ethnic and cultural groups in Hawai‘i face
higher prevalence of health problems linked to food and nutrition. Native
Hawaiians who trace lineage to these islands and Pacific people who have
migrated to Hawai‘i share a common separation from their land and food
cultivation practices. A substantial body of research links “cultural trauma” –
often the loss of land and language, disconnection with traditions and practice
– with today’s health disparities. Food is an essential part of this equation.
Within a few generations, foods consumed changed dramatically for most
Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders living in Hawai‘i. Impacts on
population health are becoming increasingly problematic. While high rates of
obesity and chronic disease may at first seem inconsistent with the issue of
hunger, these problems are undeniably related to limited access to fresh,
healthy, and nutritious food.

About This Report
The methodology and structure of this report draw from the approach
presented in the Hunger in the Bay Area, Alameda and San Francisco
Counties analysis. Hunger in Hawai‘i relies on the comprehensive analysis
presented in its Bay Area companion and is intended as an addendum to this
report. It does not include the level of detail about program mechanics,
national data, and common challenges, but reflects insight from hunger and
food systems work in the Hawaiian islands.

HUNGER IN HAWAI‘I September 2016

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 The Hawai‘i Community Foundation commissioned an independent consultant
to work collaboratively with HCF staff to gather publicly available data,
reference research and studies of hunger in Hawai‘i, and conduct interviews
with key stakeholders to inform this report. The first section presents Hawai‘i
data around prevalence of, risk factors for, and likely contributors to hunger.
The second section examines Hawai‘i efforts to alleviate hunger through four
approaches: food assistance, food distribution, food waste recovery and food
accessibility. The report concludes with a brief listing of recommendations
gathered from interviews.

Summary of Findings
As the world’s most isolated land mass comprised of disparate geographies
and communities, Hawai‘i faces extra challenges due to its high cost of living,
lower than average wage structure and reliance on expensive, imported food.
Efforts that make fresh, healthy food more available and affordable rose to the
top of priorities that could make a meaningful impact on hunger in Hawai‘i.
Research and interviewee recommendations point to three possible
opportunities emerging from this report:
1) increase SNAP utilization to put more financial resources in the pockets
of Hawai‘i residents
2) encourage more collaboration to ensure hungry families have greater
access to healthy, nutritious food
3) support programs integrating efforts to increase the supply of local,
fresh food while also spurring awareness and demand for healthy food
choices.

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 Hunger in Hawai‘i: the state of the problem
Who Goes Hungry in Hawaii?
Hunger Rates by Population Segment
One in seven
residents in Hawai‘i
All residents
14%
is at risk of going
hungry. Children,
Elderly
11%
elderly, Native
Hawaiian/Pacific
Children
Islander families,
households with
Single parent households
single parents
and/or low
Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander
educational
0%
10%
20%
attainment are
particularly vulnerable to hunger.

22%

28%

36%
30%

40%

1 in 5 kids (22.1%) in Hawai‘i faces hunger.
1 in 3 Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander households (35.7%) is in
danger of going hungry.
1 in 10 persons over the age of 60 face hunger. Hawai‘i has a longer
average life expectancy and a large aging population.
Single parent households are nearly twice as likely to be at risk of hunger.
Households with educational attainment of high school or less are nearly
five times as likely to experience hunger as households with at least one
bachelor’s degree.
Hawai‘i has the nation’s largest per capita homeless population, a group
highly vulnerable to hunger.
Residents in isolated rural areas are at least twice as likely to be hungry.
The state of Hawai‘i is comprised of five counties, which span seven inhabited
islands. The following analysis examines hunger and its contributing factors
by county: the City and County of Honolulu (the island of O‘ahu), Hawai‘i
County (Hawai‘i Island), Maui County (the islands of Maui, Moloka‘i and
HUNGER IN HAWAI‘I September 2016

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 Lana‘i) and Kaua‘i County (the islands of Kaua‘i and Ni‘ihau). Kalawao County
is the 52-square mile area of Moloka‘i encompassing the Kalaupapa peninsula.
The county and its 89 residents are not included in the following data analysis.

HUNGER IN HAWAI‘I September 2016

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 Poverty
Poverty is a significant factor contributing to hunger. Although the two are not
synonymous, poverty statistics provide a starting place for measuring risk of
hunger. In addition to poverty, geographic location, access to transportation,
and demographic characteristics including age, disabilities, and health status
are all factors that affect access to adequate, nutritious food.
In Hawai‘i, an estimated 163,203 persons live in poverty. The 9.8% poverty
rate in the City and County of Honolulu is lower than neighbor islands, but
O‘ahu has the largest number living in poverty – nearly 100,000 people.

“Food Insecurity”
Feeding America, the country's largest network of foodbanks, is one of the
most consistent sources for data on hunger. The organization's annual Map
the Meal Gap report uses a methodology that accounts for poverty,
unemployment, and median income figures to project the number of “food
insecure” individuals in each county. Feeding America also breaks out “food
insecure” persons into two groups – those who live below 200% of the federal
poverty line are eligible for government benefits and those whose income
levels disqualify them from government assistance may still be going hungry.
An estimated 194,610 people in Hawai‘i are “food insecure,” meaning they
consistently do not receive enough nutrition to lead a healthy, active lifestyle.
These estimates also indicate over 83,000 of these “food insecure” individuals
may not qualify for government assistance. Data gathered by the Hawai‘i
Foodbank Inc. and its network of island foodbanks, food pantries and meal
programs indicate that the number of individuals suffering from hunger may
be much higher.

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 Cost of Living
Hawai‘i has a comparably high cost of living and low wage structure. Although
the median income ranks high among states, it is the lowest in the country
when adjusted for cost of living.
USDA "Thrifty Meal Plan"

Approximately 90% of Hawaii's food
monthly cost for a family of 4
February 2016
$1,153.50
supply is imported, one of the
contributing factors to the highest
$773.80
food costs in the country.1 The USDA
$655.20
publishes meal cost estimates every
month. Even on the “thrifty meal plan”
a family of four in Hawai‘i can expect
to pay 76% more than the average US
Continental US
Alaska
Hawaii
family. High food costs
disproportionally affect low-income individuals and families who must spend a
higher percentage of each paycheck on basic needs. High housing costs also
require residents to spend a large share of income on rent, which contributes
to Hawai‘i having the highest per capita homeless population in the U.S.

Proximity to Healthy Food
There is little evidence that “food deserts”
are prevalent in Hawai‘i, but access to
healthy food on rural neighbor islands is
much more limited than in urban Honolulu.
Rural residents have less access to
supermarkets, farmers markets, food
pantries and other sources of nutritious,
fresh foods. Communities without access to
reliable transportation, the elderly or those
with poor health, disabilities or other issues
are most vulnerable. The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation’s Food
Environment Index (part of its County Health Rankings & Roadmaps
program2) shows one in ten neighbor island residents does not live close to a
grocery store (typically a source of healthier foods compared to a convenience
store).3

1 Hawai‘i Journal of Medicine & Public Health

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3419825/
2 http://www.countyhealthrankings.org/app/hawaii/2014/measure/factors/133/data
3 Living close to a grocery store is defined differently in rural and nonrural areas; in rural areas
it means living less than 10 miles from a grocery store. In nonrural areas it means less than 1
mile. Low income is defined as having an annual family income at or below 200% of the FPL for
the family size.
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 Although urban Honolulu appears to have sufficient locations offering healthy
food, low-income individuals and families still experience constraints in
accessing affordable, nutritious food. A study published in Hawai‘i Journal of
Medicine & Public Health compared Honolulu on Oahu (urban); the Puna
District on the Big Island (rural); and Waianae on Oahu (rural) and found lowincome Honolulu residents were in closer proximity to supermarkets but faced
much higher housing costs. The study found healthful food was much less
affordable when a larger share of income is allocated to housing. Many
residents living in urban rentals have no kitchen at all or limited cooking
facilities (hot plate and microwave), forcing a greater reliance on readyprepared meals.
In rural areas, particularly on the east and south sides of Hawai‘i Island, the
east side of Maui and a handful of other neighbor islands communities, limited
infrastructure and lack of public transportation is a barrier to food
accessibility. Many of these isolated communities have no grocery store, and
no way to conveniently and regularly access sources of healthy food. On the
flip side, families in many of these rural communities practice subsistence
agriculture and fishing, which is a source of healthy, local food that is not
readily available in larger urban areas.
Other studies examine urban food environments and the number of fast food
outlets and convenience stores (known for processed, less healthy foods) in
low-income vs. more affluent neighborhoods. A comparative study of the urban
food environments of Kansas City, Missouri, and Honolulu found that
"convenience stores [typically stocking fewer healthy items] were more
prevalent in the parts of these cities that were the most deprived."4 A scan of
listings of SNAP retailers in the State yielded a large number of convenience
stores such as Shell gas stations, Minit Stop, 7 Eleven stores, and liquor
stores, particularly in urban areas.5

4 Environmental Health Insights http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2918357/
5 https://helpingamericansfindhelp.org/hawaii-snap-authorized-retailers/
HUNGER IN HAWAI‘I September 2016

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 County Comparisons
Pulling the numbers together tells a story of important differences across
counties and islands.
Communities within each
Poverty Rate
Food Insecurity Rate
Limited Access to Healthy Food
county differ further still.
C&C of Honolulu

City and County of
Honolulu
Hawaii County
While the 9.8% poverty rate
is lower than all other
Maui County
counties, the 13.0% food
insecurity rate is consistent
with the statewide average.
Kauai County
With nearly two-thirds of the
state’s “food insecure”
STATE OF HAWAII
individuals living in the City
and County of Honolulu, the
0.0%
island is home to more than
127,000 people at risk of going hungry.

5.0%

10.0%

15.0%

20.0%

Hawai‘i County
While the 18.1% poverty rate is by far the highest across counties, Hawai‘i
County’s food insecurity rate of 13.1% is not markedly different from the
statewide average. The “Big Island,” with vast land area, limited
transportation and isolated communities, has the highest rate of residents
lacking access to healthy food outlets.
Maui County
Maui’s 13.1% poverty rate is equal to its estimated “food insecurity” rate. Yet
the county average does not capture the differences between populated West
Maui and rural East Maui, and across the three islands. Although smaller in
population, the islands of Moloka‘i and Lana‘i have significantly higher
poverty rates. “Food insecurity” on Lana‘i is estimated to be as high as on
Hawai‘i Island.i
Kauai County
The food insecurity rate on Kaua‘i is slightly higher than the poverty rate, but
generally consistent with statewide averages. Of the three neighbor island
counties, Kaua‘i has the lowest rate of low-income families with limited access
to fresh and healthy foods

Hawai‘i and the Bay Area

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 As the Hawai‘i Community Foundation and the Stupski Foundation develop a
strategy for alleviating hunger in two different geographies, this analysis also
helps illuminate some similarities and differences in the two areas.
The total population of
the State of Hawai`i is
about 60% of the San
Francisco and Alameda
counties combined.
The mix of urban
Honolulu and remote
rural communities
across seven islands
differs significantly
from the Bay Area’s
predominantly urban
setting.
Poverty and hunger
rates are similar, but
the absolute number of
individuals who face
poverty and hunger in
Hawai‘i is also smaller
than in the Bay Area.
This analysis also finds
fewer organizations
focusing on hunger
and related issues in
Hawai‘i. Foodbanks in
the Bay area are
feeding nearly three
times as many people as those in Hawai‘i.
The Bay Area and Hawai‘i face similar cost of living challenges, although the
Bay Area living wage is likely much higher than the statewide average.

The Fight Against Hunger: Hawai‘i landscape analysis
This report follows the approach of the Hunger in the Bay Area companion
and looks at hunger alleviation programs through four lenses shown in the
diagram below. It does not repeat the thorough explanations of national
information and program mechanics, but offers perspective from Hawai‘ispecific research and key stakeholder conversations.
HUNGER IN HAWAI‘I September 2016

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 ENDING HUNGER

 

Food Food
Assistance Distribution
SNAP Foodbanks
- School Meals - Food pantries
WIC - Soup kitchens
Other benefits - Meal services

HUNGER IN September 2016

Food
Recovery

Aloha Harvest

- Waste education 

reduction

- Gleaning

Food
Accessibility

- Food production


- Healthy food
awareness 
availability (demand)

 

10

Food Assistance
Government food assistance programs are among the most widely used means
for fighting hunger. A meaningful body of research demonstrates that the
largest program – the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program – is one of
the most efficient ways to fight hunger and raise families out of poverty. In
addition to SNAP, school meal programs are critical for addressing child
hunger. The effects of food and sufficient nutrition on child development and
learning are also well documented. This section presents brief overviews of
the two most significant federally funded assistance programs in Hawai‘i. A
summary table indexes other food and nutrition assistance programs.
Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program - SNAP
One in seven Hawai‘i residents receive
Supplemental Nutrition Assistance
Program (SNAP) benefits in recent
years. As the country's largest food
safety net program, SNAP serves about
190,000 Hawai‘i residents and brings
an estimated $450 million into the state
each year. Economic analysis of the
SNAP program demonstrates that
SNAP has the highest multiplier effect
of government benefit programs,
producing almost $9 in economic
benefit for every $5 in SNAP.
Half of SNAP recipient households in
Hawai‘i are considered working poor,
with at least one person in the
household employed. The majority of
SNAP households include vulnerable
groups of children, elderly and
disabled.

AT A GLANCE: SNAP in Hawai’i
1 in 7

Hawai‘i residents receive SNAP benefits

193,565

residents received SNAP (2014)

116%

increase in SNAP users from 2007 – 2014

$453M

dollar value of SNAP benefits to HI (2012)

1.79x

economic multiplier of SNAP

Hawai‘i SNAP Household Profiles
49%

of households are working families

63%

of households have children

27%

of households have elderly or disabled

The SNAP Gap in Hawai‘i

75%
of eligible participants access SNAP (2013)
Yet Hawai‘i consistently has one of the
lowest participation rates in the
60%
of foodbank clients report using SNAP
country. An estimated one in four
eligible residents is not using SNAP.
25%
of SNAP users report benefits last 4 weeks
According to a foodbank client survey
(part of the Feeding America report), two in every five foodbank clients are
not using SNAP. While this may be due to foodbanks serving “food insecure”
individuals whose incomes are too high for benefits, it may also indicate a gap

HUNGER IN HAWAI‘I September 2016

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 in need. Increasing SNAP participation to include all eligible residents could
bring as much as $247M into Hawai‘i.
The Hunger in the Bay Area report details the mechanics of SNAP through its
explanation of the CalFresh program (California’s SNAP program). There are
a handful of differences in administration of CalFresh and Hawai‘i SNAP,
including:


County versus State level administration. Fifty-eight California counties
separately administer the CalFresh program to residents. In Hawai‘i, the
Benefits, Employment and Supplemental Services Division within the
state’s Department of Human Services administers the SNAP Program
through 23 offices across the islands. A comparative analysis of TANF
recipients in state and county administration found the following
benefits of each system, and these differences are likely similar to SNAP
administration. Consistency across geographic locations and ability to
invest in large systemic improvements are benefits of state-level
administration. County-level administration is often perceived as helpful
in rising above state bureaucracy because SNAP benefit education can
be linked with other social support or community-based programs.



Supplemental Security Income recipient. SSI provides financial support
for people age 65 and older or blind or disabled of any age. Recipients
are not eligible for CalFresh but do qualify for SNAP in Hawai‘i. SSI
recipients can apply for SNAP benefits through Social Security offices.



Categorical eligibility. Hawai‘i has an eligibility provision that allows
recipients of SSI or TANF to qualify for SNAP without income and asset
tests. Everyone in the applying household must receive TANF or SSI
benefits to qualify.



Immigrant eligibility. Documented, legal immigrants are eligible for
SNAP in the United States. Children of undocumented immigrants are
eligible for SNAP, but they must be citizens or legal permanent
residents. Hawai‘i has a growing population of migrants from the
Compact of Free Association (COFA) states, including Palau and the
Federated States of Micronesia. While this population is considered high
need, COFA migrants are not eligible for SNAP.



Federal Poverty Level (FPL) calculations. Both California and Hawai‘i
allow for the maximum gross income limit – 200% of the federal poverty
level. Other states use 185% or 130% of FPL limits. The maximum
income for eligibility in Hawai‘i is slightly higher because FPL and the
maximum benefits are adjusted upward for Alaska and Hawai‘i.

HUNGER IN HAWAI‘I September 2016

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CALIFORNIA HAWAI 
Household Size Max Gross Max Net Max Benefit Max Gross Max Net Max Benefit
Income Income Amount Income Income Amount
1 $1,962 $990 $194 $2,260 $1,130 $343
2 $2,656 $1,335 $357 $3,056 $1,528 $630
3 $3,350 $1,680 $511 $3,852 $1,926 $902
4 $4,042 $2,025 $649 $4,650 $2,325 $1,146
5 $4,736 $2,370 $771 $5,446 $2,723 $1,361
6 $5,430 $2,715 $925 $6,242 $3,121 $1,633
7 $6,122 $3,061 $1,022 $7,040 $3,520 $1,805
8 $6,816 $3,408 $1,169 $7,836 $3,918 $2,063
addl person +$694 +$347 +$146 +$798 +$399 +$258

 

 

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SNAP Challenges
Participation. In 2013, USDA’s Food and Nutrition Service report on SNAP
use ranked Hawai‘i sixth from the bottom in the nation for participation.
Client surveys administered for Feeding America's research indicate that 86%6
of the Hawai‘i Foodbank client households are food insecure in a given month,
but only 60% of eligible client households report participating in SNAP. This
participation gap may be due to several factors including a lack of
understanding about SNAP eligibility.
Stigma and shame. Interviewees widely agreed that stigma surrounding
benefit assistance is a key barrier to participation. Many shared anecdotes –
about both clients and their own family and friends – that demonstrated that
pride often prevents people from applying. In a culture that values hard work,
independence and self-sufficiency, people may often feel as if they should be
able to pull themselves out of financially challenging times. Several speculated
that Asian cultural influence which values privacy leads people to avoid the
shame of seeking benefits.
Uncertain causes. Although there is a lot of speculation about reasons for
low SNAP uptake in Hawai‘i, many interviewed also noted that there is a lack
of clear data identifying SNAP barriers. Few could point to efforts that had
attempted to more deeply understand the eligible population and obstacles to
increasing SNAP participation. (Note: Hunger in the Bay Area noted at least
one effort to understand who among the eligible population is and is not
participating in SNAP.)
Insufficient value of benefits.
Even with the higher maximum
benefits to account for Hawai‘i cost
of living, many families struggle to
make SNAP last for the full month.
Only 25% of Hawaii Foodbank clients
who receive SNAP reported that the
benefits lasted for 4 weeks or more.

QUOTE: “Food is the elastic factor. If
something happens to me, but I have to pay
rent and utilities I skip food. I just go hungry. I
survive on one or two meals a day or maybe I
have no protein. And towards the end of the
month, if I only have X dollars left, I have to
make choices.”

SNAP Bright Spots
Improved SNAP timeliness. Federal guidelines mandate 95% of SNAP
applications are processed within 30 days. During the recession, the
6 Though most foodbank client households are food insecure, respondents may take into

account food they receive through the charitable system or federal programs like SNAP when
answering the questions- indicating their food security is contingent on the help they receive.
The report also included non-emergency programs in its scope, capturing clients in need but
who may not be classified as food insecure.
HUNGER IN HAWAI‘I September 2016

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 timeliness rate in Hawai‘i fell as low as 29% in certain months. After a class
action lawsuit was filed in 2010, investments in DHS process reengineering
have improved results. In 2013, Hawai‘i ranked second in the country for
improvements in timeliness. That year DHS met all terms of the court order
and settled the lawsuit. Hawai‘i was awarded a performance bonus from the
federal Food and Nutrition Service in 2015.
Higher income limits. In 2010, Hawai‘i increased its income eligibility limit
to 200% of the Federal Poverty Level. (About half of states use the maximum
200% rate, while the rest range from 130% – 185%). At the time, the increase
expanded eligibility to more than 20,000 individuals during the recession. The
higher rate continues to be important given the high cost of food and other
basic necessities in Hawai‘i.
SNAP Opportunities
Outreach. The Department of Human Services contracts with community
organizations to conduct community outreach to increase SNAP applications
and participation. Many of the community organizations conducting outreach
also span a broader range of services that include education around stretching
benefits throughout the month, access to nutritious and healthy food, and
household financial management. Community organizations often struggle to
come up with the 50% cash match required for these outreach contracts. A
few additional recommendations arose in interviews:


Messaging. A few interviewees suggested that some states have had
success fighting notions of shame and stigma by positioning SNAP as a
fresh and healthy food program and as support for farmers, rather than
as a “hand out.”



Education. Interviewees also mentioned opportunities to help
beneficiaries plan for stretching SNAP dollars throughout the month,
spending SNAP in conjunction with food pantry support, and using
SNAP dollars to increase fresh fruit and vegetable consumption.

Department of Human Services process improvements. DHS has a
number of projects in-process and potential longer-term investments that
would build on improvements and continue to make it easier for residents to
apply for, receive and renew their SNAP benefits.


Automatic eligibility review. Implement a seamless process for people to
renew their SNAP at the 6-month time mark. This may prevent people
from temporarily losing benefits and going through the trouble of
reapplying.

HUNGER IN HAWAI‘I September 2016

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 

Call Center. Other states have found that using a call center model for
people to inquire and begin the application process increases efficiency.
The big obstacle to implementation is the current DHS phone system
lacks capacity to collect required data (wait time, time on call, etc.).
SNAP performance bonus funds previously mentioned are being
invested in phone system upgrades to allow for this data collection and
process improvements.



Database Integration. DHS is currently working to integrate SNAP and
Med-QUEST (Medicaid) eligibility via the KOLEA database system.



Centralized system. Washington State recently shifted to an outreach
and processing model where different SNAP offices perform different
functions to maximize speed and efficiency. (This differs from the
Hawai‘i model where every office includes every step/function within the
process.) Applying this to Hawai‘i would change the way the 23 different
SNAP offices function across the islands. It is a long-term project that
would require extensive planning, union buy-in, movement of facilities
and staff if implemented in Hawai‘i.

HUNGER IN HAWAI‘I September 2016

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 SNAP Stakeholders
Public Agencies

Nonprofit
Organizations

Funders

Department of Human Child and Family
Services – Benefits,
Services, Kaua‘i
Employment, Support Helping Hands Hawai‘i
Services Division
PHOCUSED
Department of Health
Wai‘anae Coast
–SNAP-Ed Program
Comprehensive Health
Center
Hawai‘i Appleseed
(advocacy)

HUNGER IN HAWAI‘I September 2016

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 National School Lunch Program, School Breakfast Program, Summer
Meals
School meals are one of the most
AT A GLANCE: School Meals in Hawai‘i
important sources of addressing
child hunger. Children in Hawai‘i
50%
students are eligible for free or reduced lunch
public schools whose families meet
income eligibility may receive free
257
public schools serve breakfast & lunch
or reduced-cost lunch, breakfast and
summer meals. Nearly 50% of public 43.3% lunch students participating in breakfast
school children from kindergarten to 30
schools offering universal meals
grade 12 received free or reducedcost lunch in 2012.7 Many of these
68
Summer meal sites
students are eligible for free
breakfast as well, but the
participation in morning meals is significantly lower.

School Meal Challenges
Participation. The Hawai‘i Department of Education offers three meal
programs – lunch, breakfast and summer – and each has different challenges
for participation.


Lunch. School Food Services shared that participation drops
precipitously as students move through the school system. Elementary
school is a captured audience with nearly 90% participation. Middle
school participation falls to near 60%, and by high school only 14 – 15%
of eligible students sign up. This may be due to lack of awareness or
stigma.



Breakfast. Only 43.3% of eligible students eat breakfast, as compared to
53.2% national average and a national goal of 70%.



Summer. The gap in meals over summer disproportionately affects low
income students, and the Seamless Summer Option (SSO) Program aims
to feed hungry kids when school is out of session. Although this program
has expanded to sixty-eight schools across Hawai‘i, summer meal sites
report extremely low utilization rates. Anecdotally, some summer food
sites report that many meal days have no attendance. On other days,
only a handful of students come. Some speculated that locations were
inconvenient or not appealing, but the DOE is limited on where they can
offer them.

7 Data via Kids Count Data Center http://datacenter.kidscount.org/data/tables/4579-studentsreceiving-free-or-reduced-cost-lunch
HUNGER IN HAWAI‘I September 2016

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 School Meal Bright Spots
Community Eligibility. For the 2016-17 school year, the DOE is expanding
community eligibility from seven to 30 schools. The Community eligibility
provision allows for schools with more than 40% free and reduced price lunch
students to offer free meals to all students. This makes meals more efficient
for cafeteria operators, reduces stigma for those receiving free meals, and
helps reach students who might be hungry but have not applied for free lunch.
Healthy food offerings. In recent years, the Department of Education has
made an effort to expand healthy options and increase the amount of local
produce in school lunches. The Food Accessibility section that follows will
delve deeper into this topic.
School Meal Opportunities
School Breakfast. As noted above, less than half of the students who
receiving lunch are also accessing free breakfast. Expanding breakfast
participation to include all students receiving free or reduced price lunch
could impact nearly 40,000 children.
Universal Meal Program. Some of the largest urban school districts in the
U.S. are moving toward universal lunch and breakfast. While they have
advantages similar to the community eligibility described above, these
programs are not federally funded. In Hawai‘i, the estimated annual price tag
of $110M is an obstacle to implementing universal meals. If schools stop
collecting applications for student eligibility, schools must find other ways to
determine economic status of students. It also serves to limit their ability to
have data assessing their student populations. One of the most prevalent
arguments against universal meals is that public funds should not be used to
feed students who are not in need.
Focus on health. Interviews indicated there is progress on improving the
nutritional content of school meals. Yet several also cited the need for
continued improvement. Many referenced the importance of school gardens
and other hands-on programs that promote healthy eating, cooking, exercise
and awareness of local food systems.
School Meal Stakeholders
Public Agencies

Nonprofit Organizations

HUNGER IN HAWAI‘I September 2016

Funders

19

 Department of Education –
School Food Services
Branch

School Garden programs &
networks

Department of Education –
Office of School Nutrition
Programs
Department of Agriculture
– new Farm-to-School
Coordinator

HUNGER IN HAWAI‘I September 2016

20

 Other Government Programs
A summary of additional food assistance programs funded by the federal
government adds Hawai‘i data to national and California data referenced in
the Hunger in the Bay Area report.

HUNGER IN HAWAI‘I September 2016

21

 Food Distribution
Foodbanks and their partner
distribution sites – food pantries, soup
kitchens, homeless shelters, and meal
services – are a foundational part of a
community’s response to hunger.
In 2014, roughly 1 in every 5 Hawai‘i
residents accessed the services of
foodbanks through partner distribution
sites like food pantries, and meal
programs to meet their nutritional
needs. The Hawai‘i Foodbank Inc. –
which is comprised of entities serving
each of Hawai‘i’s four counties –
served 123,000 households,
encompassing an estimated 287,000
people. One third of Hawai‘i Foodbank
clients are keiki or kupuna: 47,894
children and over 46,000 elderly were
served in 2014. Three in every four
persons served by the Hawai‘i
Foodbank network lives in poverty.

AT A GLANCE: Foodbanks in Hawai’i
1 in 5

Hawai‘i residents receive food bank help

287,000

residents accessed food (2015)

117%

increase in clients served from 2005 – 2015

12M lbs

food distributed annually

Hawai‘i Foodbank household profiles
41%

are working families

35%

have children and/or an elderly member

40%

have a disabled member unable to work

22%

have a member who served in the military

29%

have a member with diabetes

17%

of all clients have no health insurance

The Hawai‘i Foodbank and its neighbor island affiliates partner with more
than 220 agencies that distribute food directly to the community. A brief scan
of publicly available information on Hawai‘i’s food distributors shows
approximately two-thirds are churches and faith-based outreach efforts.
Food Distribution Challenges
Dependence. Foodbanks provide a crucial
safety net service, but one of the biggest
criticisms of foodbanks is they can create
dependency and suppress incentives for families
to find other sources of support. Anecdotal
stories talk about people who go from
distribution site to distribution site to get more
that a person’s “fair share.” The fragmented
nature of distribution sites doesn’t provide much
structure to prevent this.

HUNGER IN HAWAI‘I September 2016

QUOTE: Throughout the years,
it’s about how many people you
change. You can feed a million
people, but if you keep feeding
that many you’re not doing your
job. Our business is to figure out
how to eliminate hunger. We
never will, but if every year our
numbers goes up higher and
higher it’s not working… We
really want to grasp this issue of
who is really in need – it is
complicated.

22

 Measures of success. Several interviewees talked about the need to change
the metrics from outputs to outcomes. Success and performance of foodbanks
is currently measured and communicated based on pounds of food distributed.
This metric neither takes into account the nutritional quality of food
distributed nor allows for assessment of whether families are alleviating
hunger. While this was a common concern, identifying better measures that
might be reasonably tracked on an ongoing basis is a challenge.

Food Distribution Bright Spots
Access to fresh foods. All foodbanks interviewed talked about the
importance of and focus on fresh and nutritious food for beneficiaries. In
2014, the Hawai‘i Foodbank distributed three million pounds of fresh fruits
and vegetables through its Ohana Produce Program. The Food Basket, the
foodbank on Hawai‘i Island, is working on a number of innovative
partnerships and programs to increase fresh food delivery and consumption
for its beneficiaries. The Food Basket recently started a community supported
agriculture (CSA) weekly produce box that both supports local farmers and
makes locally grown produce available to low income individuals and families.
Education. Creative, innovative programs look at food distribution as one
aspect of an integrated approach to alleviating hunger. A few interviewees
noted the work of a pastor who runs a food pantry in Kaka‘ako. His approach
helps community members learn how to shop – pick up staples, canned goods,
and dry foods from the pantry, use SNAP dollars for perishable proteins and
produce, and budget SNAP benefits to stretch throughout each month.
Food Distribution Opportunities
Collaboration. Several interviewees mentioned the need for greater
collaboration and knowledge sharing among foodbank peers, distribution
partners and other social service agencies whose supports help fight hunger
in Hawai‘i.
Food Distribution Stakeholders
Public Agencies

Nonprofit Organizations

Department of Health –
Healthy Hawai‘i Initiative

Hawai‘i Foodbank

Funders

The Food Basket (Hawai‘i
Island)

HUNGER IN HAWAI‘I September 2016

23

 Maui Foodbank
The Kaua’i Independent Food
Bank
220+ distribution locations

HUNGER IN HAWAI‘I September 2016

24

 Food Recovery
Hawai‘i residents throw away a total
of 237 tons of food each year – that
equates to 356 pounds of food per
capita wasted each year. This is less
than the national average of 429
pounds per person, but far greater
than low-income countries who waste
much less. Aside from negative
environmental impacts (e.g., landfill
volume, methane gas), wasted food is
lost potential to feed hungry in
Hawai‘i.

AT A GLANCE: Food Waste in Hawai‘i
237 tons

estimated annual food thrown away

356 lbs

estimated annual discarded food per person

20%

portion of waste stream comprised of food

Aloha Harvest Profile
17 years

operating on O‘ahu

2M lbs

food diverted from waste stream annually

Many Hawai‘i institutions, restaurants
800
donors: restaurants, hotels, caterers, distributors
and hotels are working toward zero
food waste by composting and feeding
180
partner agencies distributing food
livestock. Yet efforts focused on
diverting food waste to feed the
8
employees = 3 FT + 5 drivers
hungry are far fewer. There are three
2
trucks
sources of food waste: producers
(farms), sellers (stores) and
consumers. Aloha Harvest– an O‘ahu-based nonprofit – is a Hawai‘i leader in
the food waste recovery movement focused on reducing the waste from
sellers. Modeled after City Harvest in New York, Aloha Harvest connects the
issues of food distribution and food waste in Hawai‘i by “rescuing” 2 million
pounds of food from the landfill each year. The system creates tax benefits and
positive publicity for donating businesses while benefitting those facing
hunger.
Food Recovery Challenges
Farm Waste. Waste of off-grade produce at the production point was
mentioned in several interviews. Given expensive labor and capital inputs, it is
often more economical for farmers to “turn under” or plow the crops back into
the land after harvesting premium products. Little data was available to
measure the extent of this challenge, but multiple interviewees shared
concerns about this source of food waste.
Logistics. Aloha Harvest provides a case study into the complexity and
challenges of diverting seller waste into the food stream. With minimal staff
and infrastructure, the organization has been able to redistribute significant
volumes of food. Some speculate that the urban Honolulu core allows
HUNGER IN HAWAI‘I September 2016

25

 proximity to donors and distribution partners that does not exist on other
islands where driving distances between locations are likely much farther.
Donor reticence. Aloha Harvest has steadily built relationships with over 800
restaurants, hotels, stores, caterers, and food distributors who donate food on
O‘ahu. One of the greatest reported barriers to recruiting donors is food
safety and liability concerns. Aloha Harvest has refrigerated trucks and strict
standards in place to prevent spoilage, and both donors and agencies are
given additional protection against liability by the Good Samaritan Act of
1966.
Food Recovery Bright Spots
Growth & Influence. In the past eight years, Aloha Harvest has doubled the
pounds of food donated and redistributed. Yet a comprehensive system is in
place only on O‘ahu. Feed My Sheep on Maui has begun promoting fresh food
pick up; other food distributors noted a desire or early efforts to incorporate
aspects of the Aloha Harvest model into their work.
Public awareness and policies. County government websites promote
opportunities to reduce food waste. The City and County of Honolulu
mandates that restaurants and caterers with enough food production volume
must separate food waste, while information sources direct them to Aloha
Harvest.
School programs. Schools are focusing on waste reduction efforts, and Pearl
City High School recently received an EPA award for achieving nearly zero
waste. Yet most of this is composting rather than diverting wasted food to
alleviate hunger, meaning these efforts have positive environmental impacts
but do not yet make the leap into feeding hungry. They are, however, a
starting point for building awareness and knowledge in younger generations.
Food Recovery Opportunities
Collaboration. Several interviewees commented about the potential for
partnerships among all those who receive and distribute all types of donated
food.
Residential gleaning. Some brought up “gleaning” – or the process of
gathering food from non-farming homes and residents – as an approach to
reduce waste and augment fresh food distribution. Certain seasons in Hawai‘i
produce an overabundance of normally expensive fruits like mangoes and
avocados or high nutritional density foods like ‘ulu (breadfruit). To date, there
is limited data on current and potential volume and impact on hunger needs.
The Waste Not Want Not Foundation on Maui had up to 35 volunteers
gathering food from 2008 – 2012, but the effort appears to be inactive now.
HUNGER IN HAWAI‘I September 2016

26

 The No Fruit Left Behind project on West Hawai‘i Island reports gathering
more than 3,700 pounds of food since 2012, distributing half to those in need
and reselling half through local natural food stores.
Foodbank waste. While
Aloha Harvest specializes in
recovering and redistributing
prepared food, foodbanks also
addressed the issue of waste
as an opportunity.

QUOTE: “A big expense is how much we throw away. People
hate when we throw away food, but we get it so close to
expiration. Salvage rate of 25%, now down to 15-18%. But
still, 18% on 2.5M pounds is a lot of food. That we pay to
throw away. If we had the space, capacity, staff and
volunteer know-how … we’d stop looking at it as rubbish,
and as opportunity."

Food Recovery Stakeholders
Public Agencies

Nonprofit Organizations

Funders

?

Aloha Harvest

Hau’oli Mau Loa Foundation

Feed My Sheep (Maui)
One Island (Hawai’i)

Food Accessibility
Conversations with community stakeholders surfaced the overarching
sentiment that Hawai‘i cannot adequately solve hunger without addressing
significant gaps in our food system as a whole. Such efforts are at work across
the islands, yet they tend to be fragmented and harder to measure immediate
impact. But nearly all interviewees reflected on the importance and the
prevalence of these efforts that address both the supply of and demand for
healthy food in Hawai‘i.
On the supply side, Hawai‘i is
heavily dependent on food
imports. Researchers estimate
the state imports 85% - 90% of
its food supply. The Foodland
grocery chain says 80% of sales
come from imports. To many, it
seems illogical to import so much
food to these fertile islands with
year-round growing conditions. A
2015 report showed that
agricultural acreage in Hawai‘i
has fallen 57% since 1980. The
bulk of this decline can be
attributed to sugar plantation

HUNGER IN HAWAI‘I September 2016

27

 closures across the islands, and one bright spot is that diversified agriculture
has more than doubled in the time assessed.
Another set of data presented in a 2013 study
shows the percent of local consumption by food
group. An economic analysis of food imports by
category shows where Hawai‘i is most dependent
on outside food sources. But there is a growing
movement coalescing around food supply. In
September 2016, Hawai‘i Governor David Ige
announced the state’s pledge to increase island
food production to 30% by 2030. While
implementation of this goal is yet unclear, it may represent an opportunity to
position the hunger issue more prominently.
As Hawai‘i addresses food supply constraints, there is also a growing focus on
demand for and consumption of healthy food. Conversations about hunger – or
lack of access to sufficient food and nutrition – invariably connect to the issues
of nutrition and obesity, one of the most pressing public health issues in
America. Conventional thinking might assume obesity is an indication of
sufficient food, and is therefore at odds with hunger. Yet research and
conversations with public health stakeholders increasingly indicate that
obesity and hunger are intertwined.
Overall, the obesity rate in Hawai‘i has more
than doubled from 8.9% in 1990 to 22.1% in
2014. Although Hawai‘i has the third lowest
obesity rate in the U.S., this average hides wide
variations within the population. For example,
those of Chinese ancestry report a 7% obesity
rate while the rate for Native Hawaiians is
40.8%. The growing prevalence of obesity points
toward a need to build awareness and expand
availability of healthy food.

QUOTE: “[Hunger] doesn’t mean
a lack of calories, just a lack of
nutrition. They could be eating
enough calories, but it doesn’t
mean they’re getting the right
kinds of food. Obesity and hunger
are not opposites.”

Food Accessibility Challenges
Local food supply challenges. As outlined above, Hawai‘i imports nearly
90% of its food and has a shrinking agricultural land base. This is a result of
complex and interconnected factors that will take significant time and effort to
overcome. The legacy of plantation agriculture means that large landowners
still hold the majority of agricultural land in Hawai‘i. Very little of this land is
used for food growing purposes – the three largest crops of sugar cane, seed,
and commercial forestry account for 71% of agricultural acreage. Availability
of land and water (including long-term leases, permits, and financing) for

HUNGER IN HAWAI‘I September 2016

28

 small to mid-sized farmers is limited, and farming inputs including feed for
livestock and fertilizer for crops must be imported, driving up costs.
Price. Supply constraints mean that local food is more expensive than
imported food, and fresh food is more expensive than packaged and processed
foods. This challenge may not be unique to these islands, but the cost of
importing food drives up prices, exacerbating this issue for low income
families in Hawai‘i.
Lack of knowledge. High prices
create a large barrier to healthy food
access, but knowledge and familiarity
is also a challenge. Cooking at home
has become less common for working
families, especially for parents with
more than one job or working
nonstandard hours. Immigrants and
migrant groups often struggle to use
unfamiliar foods. “

QUOTE: “…it’s learning food preparation
skills. For many Pacific Islanders, not only
have they lost their traditional foods, but
they don’t have the skills to prepare new
things. How do you handle a knife? How do
you use certain vegetables? Do you leave
the seeds in or not? If people don’t know
how to prepare [fresh foods], what’s on the
market is meaningless.”

Cultural norms. The introduction to this report references longstanding,
important cultural traditions around food. When asked about barriers to
healthy food consumption, several interviewees referenced these cultural
norms that encompass unhealthy food staples. Processed meats, heavy
starches, fried foods, and foods high in sugar are standard potluck and party
items. While there is a growing movement to shift toward healthier
alternatives (for example, many preschools have adopted policies that don’t
allow sugar at school potlucks), such longstanding traditions take time to
change.
Rural areas. As one interviewee stated, “In rural areas, the communities are
small and isolated. In order for people to access food, even from a foodbank,
they drive huge distances. No bus or public transportation. They have to stock
up for 2-3 weeks, so they aren’t getting fresh food.” Each island has pockets of
isolated residents who face transportation barriers to accessing healthy and
fresh food. Residents living in east and south Hawai‘i Island, east Maui, West
Kauai and the islands of Lana‘i and Moloka‘i are particularly vulnerable. Most
of these communities also have higher incidence of poverty.
The zip code effect. There is a growing awareness and acceptance of the
concept of “social determinants of health”– the notion that a person’s zip code
is much more predictive of health outcomes than individual or demographic
factors. State level data analysis is beginning to use mapping as a tool for
identifying priorities and determining interventions to improve community
health. While this data is helpful, it points out that some communities face

HUNGER IN HAWAI‘I September 2016

29

 significant challenges and there is no “one size fits all” solution for addressing
hunger across Hawai‘i.
Food Accessibility Bright Spots
EBT at Farmers Markets. At least 51 farmers markets accept Electronic
Benefit Transfer (the benefit cards used for SNAP and TANF dollars).
Nationwide, SNAP benefits at farmers markets have increased six-fold since
2008 and now total $18.8M. Hawai‘i has also seen a sharp rise in farmers
markets with capacity to accept EBT. Grants from USDA and support from
Department of Human Services have helped markets purchase equipment and
set up infrastructure to expand on each island. Interviewees mentioned the
importance of farmers markets for addressing the above-mentioned access
challenges facing rural communities.
School meals. Schools have a tremendous influence on children’s health, and
the Department of Education has made efforts to improve the nutritional
content and local food options offered in its meals.


Nutritional focus. School Food Services highlighted a number of
practices that have improved the health of school meals. School
cafeterias have replaced white rice with brown rice and iceberg lettuce
with romaine. They eliminated deep fryers and bake fresh bread. Much
of the beef served is grass fed and from Hawai‘i, the chicken has no
antibiotics, and the DOE hopes to move toward cage free eggs in the
near future.



Farm-to-School Coordinator. In 2015, the Hawai‘i Department of
Agriculture hired Hawai‘i’s first Coordinator to improve the connection
between local farms and the school system.



Local sourcing. The Department of Education’s School Food Services
Branch has made strides in increasing local, healthy food options in
schools. The procurement process includes “Hawai‘i preferred” and
approximately 30% of food served is locally grown.

Grassroots Collaboration. There is a growing movement of collaborations
among diverse stakeholders to create community-driven solutions to hunger.
One case study in Kalihi – a working class urban neighborhood on the west
side of Honolulu – shares success stories from a growing partnership among a
variety of community organizations. The federally-qualified community health
center, schools, YMCA, a community center, an agency located at the state’s
largest public housing complex and others have come together to increase
supply and demand of healthy food. Food production on the health center’s
100-acre urban farm integrates with food preparation classes for youth. The
group has held several events where people gather and celebrate food grown
and prepared within the community.

HUNGER IN HAWAI‘I September 2016

30

 Community Based Subsistence Fishing and Farming. In 2016, Hawai‘i
passed a state law recognizing community-based subsistence fisheries’ role in
protecting marine resources. A March 2016 study demonstrated ways that
traditional fishing practices not only have environmental benefits, but also
have positive health and economic impacts. Some interviewees also noted that
the agricultural production data noted in the above tables accounts for
industrial and larger-scale farms, but does not measure home and local
community food production. Anecdotal evidence indicates that micro farms
and even some home-based gardens have a growing potential to contribute
food to community needs.

HUNGER IN HAWAI‘I September 2016

31

 Food Accessibility Opportunities
“Food
hubs.”
The
collaboration
“You have to work on supply and
referenced above is leading to more QUOTE:
demand at the same time. There has to be
coordinated efforts around food systems a promotion to think about eating real food
within specific communities, and on a to think about demand at the same time
statewide level. An informal group has we increase supply. Just because you have
doesn’t mean you’ll actually do it.
raised funds for an upcoming study on access,
There has to be the culinary piece too, to
local food hubs, or places where people work with the family around cooking.”
and groups are connecting to work on
both supply of and demand for food. The
group is also considering a conference to increase awareness and advance this
movement.
Grow diversified agriculture. Recommendations span large-scale and longterm efforts such as: enacting state and county policies that support and
encourage farming, increasing availability of financing, and supporting
programs that invest in young farmers, provide access to affordable long-term
leases, and bring farmers together in collaboration. A thorough inventory and
analysis of recommendations is beyond the scope of this report, but
interviewees shared widespread agreement that increasing local food
production would positively impact hunger and health.
Food Accessibility Programs & Organizations
Countless programs across schools and communities work to promote healthy
choices. A handful are highlighted below:
Healthy Hawai‘i Initiative. Launched in 2000, this initiative encourages
healthy lifestyles and environments to support them. There are five
components within the initiative: School Health, Community Intervention;
Public and Professional Education, Supplemental Nutrition Assistance
Program – Education Connection (SNAP-Ed), and the Science and Research
Group (SRG)
Hawai‘i Nutrition and Physical Activity Coalition (NPAC). In 2006, more
than 100 stakeholders formed the Hawai‘i NPAC, and participation grew to
over 500 by 2010. The group completed the Hawai‘i Physical Activity and
Nutrition Plan 2013-2020 and formed Hawai‘i Island, Maui and Kaua‘i
coalitions to advance local community health. For example, Get Fit Kauai has
task forces to carry out work on four areas: Built Environment (including
accomplishments like the extension of the eight-mile walking path in Kapa‘a),
Healthy Foods, Safe School Routes, and Worksite Wellness.

HUNGER IN HAWAI‘I September 2016

32

 YMCAs. Branches of the YMCA across the islands are leading advocates for
healthy, active lifestyles. The Y is open to all but offers a variety of programs
with particular focus on children (after school care, summer camps) and
seniors (exercise classes, health management approaches).
School Garden Networks. The Kohala Center runs the Hawai‘i Island School
Garden Network (60 schools), Malama Kaua‘i operates the Kauai‘i School
Garden Network, and Maui School Garden Network (40 schools) help schools
offer curricula around growing and preparing healthy food.
GoFarm Hawai‘i. GoFarm Hawai‘i offers set programs that incorporate
coursework, experience and supports to those interested in pursuing farming
careers.
Food Corps. This national AmeriCorps affiliate program places members into
one year of service to help schools establish gardens, improve the health of
cafeteria food and establish a culture that values healthy habits and eating.
The program is targeted toward communities with limited resources. In Hawai
‘i Food Corps has partnered with the Department of Education’s Office of
Child Nutrition, and eight schools – seven on Hawai‘i island and one on O‘ahu
– offer Food Corps placements.

HUNGER IN HAWAI‘I September 2016

33

 Ending Hunger: solutions for food secure islands
All interviewees were asked to offer input and suggestions for ending hunger
in Hawai‘i. Recommendations from interviews fit around the three following
themes, also corroborated by research and best practices.

Fight Poverty = Fight Hunger
Although poverty and hunger are not synonymous, low income individuals and
families are at much higher risk of hunger. Helping families fight poverty is
one path toward addressing hunger and improving nutrition. Suggestions
included:
 Enact a State EITC. Twenty-six states and the District of Columbia
have a State Earned Income Tax Credit that piggybacks on the federal
credit for working individuals and families. This refundable credit has
been well documented as one of the most impactful anti-poverty
measures since enactment in 1975.
 Increase SNAP participation. As outlined in the Food Assistance
section, expanding SNAP use could bring an estimated $247M into the
pockets of Hawai‘i residents. Suggestions included trying to build a
greater understanding of barriers and increasing outreach.
 Eliminate tax on food. Hawai‘i levies a 4% general excise tax (4.5% on
O‘ahu) on goods and services. This tax has a disproportionate impact on
low-income families, who spend a greater percentage of their income on
food. Nationally, the Institute of Tax and Economic Policy estimates low
income families pay 7% of income on sale and excise taxes, compared to
middle income families who pay 4.7% and the highest income families
who pay less than 1%. Hawai‘i is one of only seven states that applies a
sales or excise tax on food and there have been past efforts to create a
general excise exemption for food and medication.

Work Together
Nearly all interviewees expressed a high level of interest in learning from
peers and working together, and many agreed that the following action would
help:
 Convene stakeholders. Increasing communication and collaboration
was an overarching theme of stakeholder conversations. An approach
used in other geographies has been the Food Policy Council, gathering
and coordinating work on hunger issues.

Build Food Systems = Increase Supply + Demand
While interviewees recognized the need to address immediate hunger, almost
all agreed that Hawai‘i needs long-term, significant solutions to improve its
HUNGER IN HAWAI‘I September 2016

34

 food system. Increasing local food supply and growing demand for healthy
food are essential ingredients to ending hunger. Suggestions included:
 Focus on nutrition. Expand skills and capabilities around choosing and
preparing healthy food.
 Start young. Building healthy habits must start at a young age. School
and youth programs that teach kids are also important influences and
levers of change for parents.
 Start small. Seed community-based pilots that can be expanded or
replicated. Placing control and responsibility into community hands
drives longevity and success of such efforts.
 Grow farms and farmers. Enact land use policies and protect and
advance agriculture. Support educational efforts to create the next
generation of farmers.

Appendices
Appendix A: Works Cited, Literature & Data Sources
List of program profiles, data, relevant studies, and media coverage related to
hunger in Hawai‘i.
Prevalence of Hunger
Food Security Among Households, Hawaii Health Matters.
This summary of household food insecurity in the state reveals that as of
August 2015, 16% of Hawai‘i households are food insecure, compared with
14% nationally.
Share of Children Living in Food Insecure Households, by State, The
Hamilton Project.
State-by-state map indicates that for 2008-2011, 22.1% of Hawai‘i children
were at risk of hunger.
Senior Hunger Fact Sheet, Feeding America.
Estimates 9% of seniors ages 60 and 9% of all seniors living alone risk hunger.
The State of Poverty in Hawai‘i, Hawaii Appleseed, April 2016.
Hawai‘i has the highest cost of living but the lowest wages in the country. To
reduce hunger, the report recommends improving access to the Supplemental
Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), adopting new school breakfast models,
and increased financial support for schools.
Hunger Facts, Feeding Hawai‘i Together.

HUNGER IN HAWAI‘I September 2016

35

 Facts compiled by Feeding Hawai‘i Together, a non-profit food distribution
program that uses a grocery-store style setup. On O‘ahu, 7.8% of the
population live below the poverty line (70,914 people). Feeding Hawai‘i
Together serves 3,000 adults and 2,000 children monthly.
Food Assistance
Government assistance programs including Supplemental Nutrition Assistance
Program (SNAP), Women, Infants, and Children (WIC), and school meals.
Program Profiles
Women, Infants & Children, State of Hawai‘i Department of Health.
Overview, qualifications, and resources for the federally-funded WIC program
to support nutritional needs for pregnant, nursing and postpartum women and
their children.
Data
SNAP Monthly participation data, Food Research & Action Center.
Monthly reports on SNAP utilization, with trends by state
SNAP Fiscal Year 2016 Cost of Living Adjustments, USDA Food and
Nutrition Service.
2015 – 2016 cost of living adjustment show current maximum monthly income
limits and maximum monthly benefit allotments for contiguous 48 states,
Alaska and Hawai‘i.
SNAP State Activity Report, Fiscal Year 2014, Food & Nutrition Service,
Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, Program Accountability and
Administration Division.
Tables highlighting State SNAP spending and participation. In FY14, State
agencies issued approximately $70 billion in SNAP benefits, a nearly 8%
decrease on 2013.
Profile of Hunger, Poverty, and Federal Nutrition Programs, Food
Research & Action Center 2013.
Summary of Federal Nutrition Program statistics gathered for the State of
Hawai‘i as of 2013-2014.
Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program State Activity Report,
USDA 2014.
Data on State activity in the SNAP program including participation statistics,
administrative costs, recipient claims, and multi-year comparisons.
Twelve facts about food insecurity and SNAP, The Hamilton Project 2016.
HUNGER IN HAWAI‘I September 2016

36

 National data and analysis of food insecurity and SNAP participation compiled
by the Hamilton Project (an economic policy initiative at the Brookings
Institution). Findings indicate that SNAP investments have long-term payoffs
and that it improves households' financial well-being as well as food security.
Profile of SNAP Households, USDA, March 2015.
Summary of SNAP participation and demographics in Hawai‘i Congressional
Districts 1 and 2.
SNAP Retail Store Eligibility, USDA.
A summary of the criteria a retail store must meet to be eligible as a SNAP
location.
Hawai‘i Authorized SNAP retailers, Helping Americans Find Help-The Free
Help Guide & News.
Listings for SNAP retailers throughout the State of Hawai‘i. The listings
include name of store and address.
Federal Nutrition Assistance Program Data, USDA.
Selected statistical information on activity in all major Food and Nutrition
Service Programs (FNS). Data includes historical summaries, annual state
level data, monthly national level data, and state-level participation rates.
Increasing participation in school breakfast programs, Hawaii Appleseed
Center for Law and Economic Justice.
Program information for partnership between local schools and Hawai‘i
Appleseed to increase participation in school breakfast programs. Includes
information about participation rates, the barriers to accessing school
breakfast, and the benefits of school breakfast to a child's well-being.
Free and Reduced Price Lunch Application and Price Sheet, State of
Hawai‘i Department of Education.
Online application for Free and Reduced Price Lunch, along with price lists
and eligibility information.

Research Reports & Studies
Long Term Benefits of the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program,
Executive Office of the President of the United States. December 2015.
Report outlining the impact of SNAP on poverty, food security, health and
nutrition. The report also summarizes a growing body of research that points
to SNAP benefits being too low to allow a family to purchase food necessary
for an adequate, healthy diet.

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 Helping Make Ends Meet: Increasing SNAP and EITC Participation
Among Eligible Households in Hawai‘i, Hawai‘i Appleseed. May 2014.
Analysis of participation rates for the SNAP program and the Earned Income
Tax Credit in Hawai‘i, and recommendations on new strategies to maximize
participation.
SNAP and Public Health: The Role of Supplemental Nutrition
Assistance Programs in Improving the Health and Well-Being of
Americans, Food Research and Action Center. January 2013.
Paper exploring the relationship between poverty and food insecurity and
consequences for health and well-being in the short and long-term. Finds that
early exposure to SNAP, and increasing access to SNAP and improving benefit
levels would do more to improve the health of the nation.
The School Breakfast Scorecard, Food Research & Action Center 20142015 school year.
Report measuring the reach of the School Breakfast Program nationally and in
each state. Also examines the impact of trends and policies on program
participation.
Reaching Those in Need: Estimates of State Supplemental Nutrition
Assistance Program Participation Rates in 2013, Food and Nutrition
Service, United States Department of Agriculture. February 2016.
Estimates of State SNAP participation rates for all eligible people and for the
working poor for fiscal year 2013.
The Food Assistance National Input-Output Multiplier (FANIOM)
Model and Stimulus Effects of SNAP, USDA Economic Research Service,
Kenneth Hanson. October 2010.
Report describing data sources and underlying assumptions and structure of
the USDA's Economic Research Service Food Assistance National InputOutput Multiplier (FANIOM) model. The model is used to represent and
measure linkages between USDA's domestic food assistance programs,
agriculture, and the U.S. economy.
TANF Cash Benefits Have Fallen by More Than 20 Percent in Most
States and Continue to Erode, Center on Budget Policy and Priorities.
October 15, 2015.
Hawai‘i is one of six states where TANF benefits are below their 1996
inflation-adjusted levels.
Media Coverage
Bill aims to get more residents using food stamps, Honolulu StarAdvertiser. March 1, 2016.
Bill brought by Democratic Sen. Josh Green would have health care providers
ask clients who are enrolled in Medicaid if they are also participating in SNAP.
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 Hawai‘i currently has some of the lowest SNAP participation rates in the
country.
Missing: $209 Million from Hawai‘i’s Economy, Hawai‘i Business
Magazine. February 2016.
Federal benefits are going unclaimed by needy families in Hawai‘i according
to a report by the Hawai‘i Appleseed Center. This is largely attributed to lack
of knowledge of what public benefits are available.
Food Stamp Debate Gets Personal in Hawai‘i, Huffington Post. September
24, 2013
2013 article exploring the impact that cuts to food stamps have on
approximately 4,000 recipient households in Hawai‘i. The bill to cut the
budget was introduced by Republicans who felt the parameters to receive food
stamps were too broad.
Food Stamp use doubles on Big Island, Hawai‘i Tribune-Herald. July 25,
2012
Between 2007 and 2011 food stamp use outpaced the 6% increase in
population during the period. This was attributed to the lingering recession,
and more outreach program to help those in need to access the resource, as
well as the easing of qualifications.
Food Stamp Eligibility Expands, Honolulu Star-Advertiser September 23,
2010.
Brief on the impact of the increase of SNAP eligibility to 200% of FPL.
Department to expand free meal program, State of Hawai‘i Department of
Education, May 2016.
Press release from the State Department of Education announcing the
expansion of the USDA Community Eligibility Provision (CEP) free meal
program from 7 public schools to 30 across the State.
Food Distribution
Feeding Hawai‘i Together
Feeding Hawai‘i Together is a non-profit organization based in Honolulu.
Unlike typical food distribution programs, Feeding Hawai‘i Together employs
a “grocery-store style” setup that enables qualifying individuals to “shop” from
a wide assortment of perishable and non-perishable foods directly from
refrigerators and shelves
Hawai‘i Foodbank
The Hawai‘i Foodbank is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) agency in the state of Hawai‘i
that collects, warehouses and distributes both perishable and nonperishable
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 food through over 200 charitable agencies on O‘ahu. The Hawai‘i Foodbank
also has a branch on Kaua‘i.
Maui Foodbank
The Maui Food Bank serves 10,000 people a month who are food insecure.
This includes the working poor, children and youth, seniors, and the homeless.
Maui Food Bank through its network of 100 partner agencies and programs
distributes food to the needy in Maui County including the rural communities
of Hana, Moloka‘i and Lana‘i.
Hawai‘i Food Basket
The Food Basket, Inc. feeds the hungry in Hawai‘i County while attending to
the root causes of this critical social problem by: preventing food waste;
feeding the hungry; educating the community about hunger; working with
partners organizations to provide nutritious food to those who need it.
Media Coverage
New program to provide fresh fruits to Hawai‘i Island families
launches, Hawai‘i Food Basket.
To help Hawai‘i Island families get access to healthy food, the Food Basket
launched Ho‘olaha Ka Hua, which translates to “propagating fruit,” a
community-supported agriculture program connecting local farmers and fresh
produce with consumers.

Food Waste
Kanu Hawa‘i
A movement working to protect and promote a connection to the land and
local self-reliance. Includes national statistics and facts about food waste.
Kanu advocates composting, fermentation and other methods of reusing food
waste rather than disposing it in landfills.
More than a quarter of food in Hawai‘i is thrown away, Hawai‘i Business,
February 2016.
Article detailing a study by University of Hawai‘i economists that finds that
more than a quarter of the food produced and imported in Hawai‘i ends up in
a landfill. Although residents pay some of the highest food prices in the
country, around 237,000 tons of food per year is thrown away.
Working together for a zero waste future, Honolulu Civil Beat, June 2013.
Editorial by Jared Blumenfeld, Regional Administrator for the Environmental
Protection Agency's Pacific Southwest Region. The article highlights Hawai‘i
organizations and businesses taking steps to reduce food waste.

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 Food waste recycling information for businesses, Department of
Environmental Services.
Restaurants, food courts, hotels, markets, food manufacturers/processors and
hospitals meeting specific size criteria in the City and County of Honolulu are
required to recycle food waste.
Honolulu Food recovery: Links and Resources 2015, US Environmental
Protection Agency.
Guide to food waste strategies prioritized from most to least preferable.
Strategies include: source reduction, feeding hungry people, feeding animals,
industrial uses, composting, incineration or landfill.
Aloha Harvest
Website of Aloha Harvest, an O‘ahu non-profit organization that rescues
quality, donated food and delivers it free of charge to social service agencies
feeding the hungry.
Managing Food Waste & the Food Recovery Challenge, RISE program
(part of the non-profit KUPU).
Presentation for businesses and organizations about the Food Recovery
Challenge- an EPA-led initiative where participants commit to reducing food
waste through prevention, donation, repurposing, and composting.

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 Food Accessibility
Cost of food, education around healthy food options, proximity and availability
of healthy foods, availability local produce and food, and food systems
Data
Map the Meal Gap 2016, Feeding America.
Overall 2014 food insecurity statistics in Hawai‘i by County. Findings show
13.7% of Hawai‘i's population is food insecure (194,610 individuals).
State of Obesity, Trust for America’s Health and Robert Wood Johnson
Foundation, 2014.
Data showing Hawai‘i had the third lowest obesity rate in the nation in 2014,
but he states rate rose from 8.9% in 1990 to most recent rate of 22.1%. Three
states in the U.S. have obesity rates over 35%.
Research Reports & Studies
Increased Food Security and Food Self Sufficiency Strategy, Office of
Planning, Department of Business, Economic Development and Tourism.
October 2012.
State government report identifying goals and strategies for increasing local
food production. The report estimates replacing 10% of food imports would be
an economic development engine that would keep $313M in the state of
Hawai‘i annually.
The Grocery Gap: Who Has Access to Healthy Food and Why it Matters,
The Food Trust.
National report into access to healthy foods in communities across the US.
Many low income areas experienced a lack of access to healthy foods. This
may result in greater suffering from diet-related diseases than those from
higher income areas.
Neighborhoods and Health: Considering Food Accessibility and
Affordability, Hawai‘i Journal of Medicine & Public Health.
An overview of research and innovative interventions pertaining to
neighborhood food environments and health outcomes in Hawai‘i.
Community Food System Assessment, Get Fit Kaua‘i- Access to Healthy
Foods Task Force.
In rural areas, access to affordable, healthy food can be limited. To better
understand the issue, a small-scale community food system assessment was
carried out. Findings are applied to strategies to increase access to healthy
food, especially for those with limited income.

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 State Agricultural Land Use Baseline Report 2015, University of Hawai‘i
at Hilo, Geography Department, 2015.
An update to the 1980 study that shows agricultural lands fell from more than
350,000 acres to 150,000 acres in 2015. The study also measures the top
agricultural products by state and island.
Hawai‘i Physical Activity and Nutrition Plan 2013-2020, State of Hawai‘i
Department of Health.
State plan identifying priority objectives to integrate physical activity and
nutrition into the daily lives of people in Hawai‘i. Objectives include: a
statewide marketing campaign to promote healthy eating; improve access to
public transportation; increase farmers' markets accepting SNAP Electronic
Benefit Transfer (EBT) transactions.
Health Impact Assessment of the proposed Mo‘omomi CommunityBased Subsistence Fishing Area, The Kohala Center. March 2016.
Analysis of health impacts of subsistence fishing identifies importance of
protecting traditional food systems and sources of community subsistence.
Hawai‘i's food consumption and supply sources, Agricultural & Food
Economics Open Journal. 2013.
Estimates and benchmarks on the availability of food for market consumption
in Hawai‘i and its supply sources, using 2010 data. The authors suggest
modified measures of food self-sufficiency and import dependency to provide a
more accurate assessment on the extent of food localization in the State.
Findings estimate imported food accounts for 88.4% of consumption in 2010.
Cost of Transporting Fresh Fruits and Vegetables to Honolulu from
Hilo and Los Angeles, College of Tropical Agriculture and Human
Resources. March 2010.
Analysis of ocean and air shipping cost impact on pricing and profit, includes
measurement of vulnerability to variances in fuel surcharges and implications
for local famers.
Media Coverage
A food desert in paradise, Grist.com.
An article on online news organization about the lack of fresh vegetables and
fruits available to many in rural areas in the islands. The article profiles the
Hana Health Center on Maui, which hosts a farmer's markets just outside of
the clinic so patients have better access to healthy food.
Food Stamp Use Soars as Farmers Markets, Hawai‘i Tribune-Herald. July
20, 2015.

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 A 2015 report from the USDA found that since 2008, nationwide SNAP
redemptions at farmers' markets and farm stands increased sixfold. Vendors at
markets on the Big Island are now equipped with Electronic Benefit Transfer
systems so that they can also accept food stamps to make it easier for
customers and vendors to use.
EBT card use at open markets provides access to fresh, healthy foods,
Hawai‘i 24/7. June 14, 2014.
A media release reminding low-income individuals and families that they can
use SNAP benefits at specific farmers' markets and People's Open Markets.
The EBT cards have benefits for vendors as every $5.00 in SNAP benefits
generates $9.00 in community spending. Also includes a list of open markets
in Hawai‘i that accept EBT cards (as of 2014).

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 Appendix B: Interview List
June 8 2016
Aloha Harvest
Ku‘ulei Williams, Executive Director
June 14 2016
Hawai‘i Appleseed
Gavin Thornton, Executive Director
Nicole Woo, Senior Policy Analyst
June 15 2016
Hawai‘i Department of Human
Services
Scott Nakasone, Acting Administrator, Benefit Employment and
Social Service Division
Pam Higa, SNAP Administrator, Benefit Employment and Social
Service Division
June 15 2016
Hawai‘i Foodbank
Gerald Shintaku, President and CEO
June 16 2016
Hawai‘i Department of
Education
Dann Carlson – Assistant Superintendent, Office of School
Facilities & Support Services
Dexter Kishida – School Food Supervisor, School Food Services
Branch
Glenna Owens – Director, School Food Services Branch
Albert Scales – School Food Services Branch
June 27 2016
Hawai‘i Department of Health
Lola Irvin – Administrator, Chronic Disease Prevention and Health
Promotion
Ranjani Starr – Epidemiologist, Chronic Disease Prevention and
Health Promotion
Carolyn Donohoe Mather, Nutritionist
Tina Tamai, SNAP-Ed/Nutrition Education Network Coordinator
July 8 2016
Hawai‘i Food Basket
En Young, Executive Director
July 18 2016
Maui Foodbank
Richard Yust, Executive Director
July 18 2016
Kauai Foodbank
Kelvin Moniz, Executive Director

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