Hawaii Sees ‘Startling’ Increase In Number Of Children Facing Hunger - Honolulu Civil Beat
Hawaii Sees ‘Startling’ Increase In Number Of Children Facing Hunger
Even as benefits programs expand and school meal programs shift, food insecurity is expected to continue to grow in the islands.
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More Hawaii children are at risk of going hungry than ever before, new federal data shows.
Before the COVID-19 pandemic began, Hawaii’s hunger rates were lower than national averages. Today, the Aloha State’s situation is worse than national levels — a striking shift, according to local researchers.
“The rates were roughly in the 10% ball park pre-COVID, and they’re close to 50% currently,” said Jack Barile, the interim director of the University of Hawaii Manoa’s Social Science Research Institute. “The majority of people facing food insecurity now are facing it for the first time or in recent history, so that’s kind of startling.”