“This program would help democratize access to healthy food,” said Daniela Spoto, Director of the Anti-Hunger Initiatives at the Hawaiʻi Appleseed Center for Law & Economic Justice, one of the supporters of the bill.

More than 160,000 Hawaiʻi residents receive SNAP benefits, amounting to about $470 million in benefits. If some of those dollars are spent on locally produced food, that money stays in Hawaiʻi.

“It would be a triple win, for families who get to eat healthy foods, for farmers who get an economic boost, and for the local economy to thrive,” said Kirsten Frost Albrecht, executive director of the Food Basket, Hawaiʻi island’s food bank. “Double Up programs are stimulating for local communities.”