Legislators look to support student recovery from the pandemic

Some advocates are also pushing lawmakers to reconsider bills that weren’t successful last session. 

Daniela Spoto, director of food equity at Hawaiʻi Appleseed, said she’s hopeful 2025 will be the year for universal free school lunches. Lawmakers have considered bills that would make breakfast and lunch free for all students over the last two years.

Now, she said, lawmakers and the public may better understand that not all families can afford lunch for their students every day, especially after the Hawaiʻi Food Bank recently reported that nearly a third of local households were food-insecure in 2023. Appleseed estimates it would cost the state an additional $15 million to $24 million a year to run a free school meals program.