Support Farm to Families
Take a moment to support a more equitable and regenerative food future for Hawaiʻi! An important bill to support Food Banks sourcing locally grown food has a hearing in the House Committee on Health and Human Services this Thursday, Feb. 5th at 9:30am in Conference Room 329 and via video conference. Testimony is Wednesday, Feb. 4th at 9:30am, but late testimony is still accepted.
Support HB 2208: Farm to Families
What Does This Bill Do?
Establishes the Hawaiʻi Farm to Families Program to alleviate food shortages in the State.
Why Is This Important? Sample Testimony:
Please support HB 2208. The statistics around food insecurity in Hawaiʻi are staggering. One in three households in Hawaii report experiencing food insecurity. Nearly half (46%) of ALICE households lack consistent access to food. Increasing the ability of food banks to purchase locally grown food is a win-win for our communities and farmers. One major challenge local farmers face is access to markets. This will help grow our local food and agriculture economy while providing our communities with nutritious food. As the cost of imports continues to increase, investing in our local food economy will help bolster our local production and food security in the long term.
Preparing Hawaiʻi’s families in the wake of disaster, food banks rely almost exclusively on private donations and grants, even though local governments rely heavily on them during times of crisis. The Farm to Families program would provide funding for purchasing from local farmers, improving emergency food access for families and opening up a local market for farmers during times of economic crisis.
Mahalo for taking the time to support Hawaiʻi's farmers and food systems!
In solidarity,
The HAPA Team
New to Legislative Engagement? Learn more about how to engage in the Legislative Session!
Make sure you have set up your account on the Hawaiʻi State Legislature website. If you are new to the process, see this helpful page on legislative engagement 101 from the Public Access Room including a link on how to submit testimony!
