Expand Food Access Through Farm to Families Funding
Expand Food Access Through Farm to Families Funding
Next Monday, we have an opportunity to continue supporting a more equitable and regenerative food future for Hawaiʻi through supporting Food Banks sourcing locally grown food.
A public decision making hearing has been scheduled in the Senate Committee on Ways and Means where this bill relating to funding food bankswill be heard on Apr. 6th at 10:32 am in Conference Room 211 (and virtually). Testimony is due Sunday, Apr. 5th (although late testimony is still accepted). Do note that only written testimony is accepted for public decision making.
If you have not done so already you will need to create an account with the Hawaiʻi State Legislature website to submit testimony.
Support HB 2208 HD1 SD1:
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 HD1 SD1. 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. As we seek to prepare our communities resiliency as an effort to improve emergency and disaster preparedness, 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 your consideration!
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