HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) – The Hawaii Foodbank is preparing for increased demand as the ongoing federal government shutdown adds pressure to an already strained food system.
“First it’s the price of food, then it’s the federal cuts, then it’s the layoffs, then SNAP, then Medicaid cuts, and now the shutdown,” said Elia Herman, director of advocacy at the Hawaii Foodbank.
Herman said it’s been a struggle in recent months. Back in March and April, Hawaii’s food banks lost more than $4 million worth of food due to federal program cuts.
Now, she said, they’re planning extra distributions to meet growing demand, even though they’re already at capacity.
“We have three shipments of food coming in to try to get ready for what’s looking increasingly like a prolonged impact about $250,000 worth of additional food,” Herman said.
She added that the shutdown is layering onto Hawaii’s existing food insecurity challenges. The state has one of the highest numbers of federal employees per capita in the nation, most of them on Oahu.
Herman said roughly 13% to 15% of Hawaii’s population could be affected, on top of about one-third of families already facing food insecurity.
“What we’ve seen in the past is people start to panic, and our shelves start to empty early, even if they haven’t been impacted yet,” she said. “Expecting a longer impact, we see surges in numbers.”
Herman said the food bank tracks data monthly and hasn’t seen a major spike yet. But if the shutdown continues through the end of the month, she expects more people will turn to the Hawaii Foodbank for help.
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