In Hawaii, where grocery prices are among the highest in the nation, families are bracing for even deeper food insecurity as federal cuts to nutrition aid loom.
A new report by the Urban Institute finds that Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits failed to cover the cost of a modestly priced meal in 99% of U.S. counties last year — and new federal legislation may widen the gap.
The analysis, last updated Wednesday, found that in the final quarter of 2024, the average SNAP benefit fell short by 20% nationwide. In high-cost states like Hawaii, where the cost of a simple meal routinely exceeds national averages, the impact is even more severe.
Scott Morishige, administrator of the state Department of Human Services Benefit, Employment and Support Services Division, noted that Hawaii was one of the few places in the country where,
in 2024, SNAP benefits either met or exceeded the cost of a modestly priced meal. This held true for Honolulu, Maui and Kauai counties, with benefits roughly equal to meal costs in Hawaii County — a contrast to most other areas nationwide.
But even with Hawaii’s comparatively higher benefit levels, demand is growing across the islands.
“We’ve seen our numbers increase significantly,” said Nani Estevez, food distribution program manager at Elepaio Social Services, which operates weekly pantries outside Makaha Elementary and Hoa Aina o Makaha. “We’re talking about 50 to 100 more people at our sites over just the past year and a half.”
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Estevez’s team serves around 150 people each week — many of them kupuna and keiki who rely on the pantry year-round, especially during summer months when school meals are
unavailable.
“Some folks come two or three times a week,” she said. “We don’t limit them. This might be 75% or 90%
of their food for the week.”
Despite community efforts, the strain is growing. Estevez has heard directly from clients who lost benefits due to marginal income increases — as little as 50 cents or $1 per hour — which pushed them above eligibility thresholds.
“They’re working hard and still can’t make it. And then they lose everything,” she said.
Her concern deepened after passage of the measure known as the One Big Beautiful Bill, a sweeping federal policy package signed earlier this month that includes provisions to reduce SNAP access and tighten eligibility nationwide.
Morishige said DHS is still reviewing the full impact of it, but confirmed the changes will affect key populations across the state.
“We know that … changes will impact eligibility for a number of households currently receiving SNAP,” he said, “including those age 54 to 64, households with children age 14 and older who will now be subject to work requirements, and certain noncitizen households that will no longer be eligible.”
He added that new federal requirements mandating “cost neutrality” for future adjustments to the Thrifty Food Plan — the formula used to calculate SNAP benefits — could erode the program’s ability to keep pace with rising food prices.
Most of the food distributed at the Makaha pantry comes from the Hawai‘i Foodbank, which delivers twice a week, Estevez said. The rest is purchased using a mix of state and federal grants — including fresh produce from local growers like MA‘O Organic Farms and hot meals prepared by students in Waianae High School’s culinary program. So far, they’ve been able to keep up.
But Estevez has noticed a troubling trend: fewer donations and more uncertainty.
She said people are donating less, likely because of the rising cost of living. And with looming federal budget cuts, she’s increasingly concerned. Less grant funding would mean fewer purchases for families in need — a loss that could ripple across Hawaii’s entire food distribution network.
The Hawai‘i Foodbank, which supplies much of their inventory, also depends on grants. Any reductions at the federal level could have knock-on effects across the system.
Among the regulars at Elepaio Social Services’ food distribution site in Makaha is 89-year-old Terrance Chevalier, who lives just down the road from the elementary school.
Every Thursday, he picks up groceries for himself and his wife — a routine that he has kept since the pantry began operating. “It helps. We’re grateful for it,” he said simply, adding that the produce — bananas and other fruits — is always fresh.
Like many kupuna living on a fixed income, Chevalier says the pantry supplements what his monthly budget cannot cover. But he is alarmed by the growing strain he sees on younger families trying to make ends meet.
“I’m glad I’m the age I am,” he said. “It looks bad for the younger generations. I don’t know how they’re going to get by.”
Chevalier has watched food prices rise sharply in recent years, while benefits like SNAP shrink and eligibility tightens.
“They keep cutting help and then later say people are asking for too much,” he said. Still, he considers himself lucky. “At least we have this. I get milk, fruits, bread and soup. But not everyone does.”
According to Nicole Woo, director of research and economic policy at Hawaii Children’s Action Network, Hawaii is uniquely impacted.
“Hawaii is the only state or U.S. territory to see repeated SNAP cuts over the last few years,” Woo said.
The reductions stem from a USDA study in 2021, called the Thrifty Food Plan, which claimed Hawaii’s SNAP benefits were disproportionately high — a conclusion many local advocates dispute. As a result, the Biden administration was bound by federal law to make SNAP cuts, which were spread out over five years. Some cuts have already been implemented, and more are expected to come.
“We’re in the middle of inflation, emergency benefits have ended, and now our families are seeing cuts that no one else is,” Woo said.
The new federal legislation adds another layer of uncertainty. It includes new work requirements that could disqualify certain low-income workers and legally present immigrants — including refugees and victims of human trafficking — who may struggle to meet documentation standards.
Meanwhile, SNAP eligibility changes could indirectly affect child nutrition programs tied to SNAP enrollment, such as free school lunch and the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for the Women, Infants and Children program.
Morishige noted that Hawaii already provides a higher maximum SNAP benefit than the mainland due to the state’s higher cost of living.
“To further assist with food costs, Hawaii administers a number of other programs,” he said, citing the Sun Bucks program, which provides $177 per child during the summer, and Da Bux, which offers local produce at discounted prices for SNAP recipients. WIC is another critical program administered by the Department of Health to support pregnant women, infants and young children.
Still, he acknowledged that many eligible families don’t receive SNAP at all.
“Because of this, DHS contracts community organizations to conduct SNAP outreach,” Morishige said, “including to populations such as kupuna, homeless individuals and individuals with limited English proficiency.”
Those needing help can call DHS’ Public Assistance Information Line or visit a processing center, he added.
“We also contract with seven SNAP Outreach partners statewide, including The Food Basket, Hawai‘i Foodbank, Project Vision Hawaii, Hale Na‘au Pono, Helping Hands Hawaii, Lanakila Pacific and Aloha United Way,” Morishige said.
Estevez and Woo agree that long-term solutions must include bolstering Hawaii’s local food systems.
Elepaio Social Services already purchases surplus produce from backyard farmers in the area — turning mango overflows into reliable meals and income.
“We want to keep it local. Support everybody. Keep it farm to table,” Estevez said.
Still, as SNAP dollars shrink, providers fear demand will grow faster than they can keep up.
“We rely on others so our families can rely on us,” Estevez said. “But if one link in the chain breaks, the whole thing could fall.”