Free school meals for all Hawaiʻi students

As Hawaiʻi’s public school students begin to return to in-person learning, we are faced with a stark new reality: Many of them are hungry.

Food insecurity among Hawaiʻi’s children has jumped from just over 18 percent in 2018 to nearly 30 percent, according to Feeding America projections. For the first time, Hawaiʻi is among the top 10 states with the highest child food insecurity.

The economic fallout from COVID-19 has exacerbated an already precarious situation for many families and forced other households that had never experienced food insecurity before to seek help.

Increasing the number of schools serving free meals to all students is important because there are many students from low-income households who don’t qualify for SNAP. They could be from households with limited English proficiency, making it difficult for them to navigate the eligibility system. Or they could be the children of immigrants, who have been discouraged from applying for public benefits due to fears of deportation under the Trump administration’s “public charge” rule. If not for universal meals, these students could go hungry.

As Hawaiʻi students return to on-campus school, maximizing the number of schools serving free school meals to all students is more important than ever. If you know a family who could be eligible for free or reduced-price meals, please let them know help is available. If they need help filling out the application on the Department of Education website, school staff can help.

During this pandemic, our community has rallied to help in ways large and small. By being aware and offering to help, we can ensure that our children have nutritious meals at school. Because no child should go hungry in Hawaiʻi.