Hawaiʻi DOE wants another $30M for a facility that hasn’t been built
The Department of Education is pinning its local food buying goals on a central facility, and the budget is getting bigger and bigger.
State officials discuss expansion of free school meals
SB1300 would require the state DOE to appropriate funding for meals for students who come from households classified as “asset limited, income restrained, employed,” (ALICE).
Hawaiʻi County Council could join call for free school meals statewide
A resolution introduced by the council said that Hawaiʻi Island has the highest rate of food insecurity in the state, but the issue is statewide.
Legislative deadline looms over universal free school meals bill
A bill to provide universal free school meals in Hawaiʻi is once again in jeopardy at the state Legislature.
Lawmakers are keeping pressure on DOE for school meal plans
Farmers and ranchers see an opportunity for ongoing collaboration.
Tap more child nutrition, school-lunch subsidies for isle keiki
The “Feed Our Keiki” report finds that the federal school meal reimbursement rates for Hawaiʻi currently should be 62% higher than other states, but it has been stuck at only 17% higher since 1979.
Hawaiʻi missed out on $200M in federal funding for school meal programs, report says
The Hawaiʻi Appleseed study found that federal programs meant to reimburse organizations that feed Hawaii’s children have not taken into account more than 40 years of increases in local food costs.
A pandemic program that fed schoolchildren last summer is now in jeopardy
The USDA is in the middle of examining its reimbursement rates for school meals in Hawaiʻi, but its findings aren’t expected to be released for a few more years.
Report: Federal funding flaw shortchanges Hawaiʻi’s school nutrition programs
The Hawaiʻi State Department of Education is paying tens of millions of dollars to feed Hawaiʻi school children due to a flaw in the funding method used by the federal government, according to a report.
Hawaiʻi’s keiki nutrition programs facing financial crisis
The state is missing out on tens of millions of federal dollars each year to provide meals for needy children.
Hawaiʻi schools are buying less local food during the pandemic
Despite new legislation requiring public schools to serve student meals with more local ingredients, advocates say they are frustrated by a regression in local food initiatives.
Every keiki needs a (healthy) breakfast
It's up to all of us to ensure that our keiki have the nutrition they need to be academically successful and healthy.
Let’s not roll back on Hawaiʻi schools’ healthy lunch strides
We need to stand up to the Trump Administration’s misguided attempts to weaken nutrition standards.
Let’s Talk Food: School lunches in Hawaiʻi
The DOE is increasing local food in student meals as well as connecting our keiki with the ʻāina using local products from the agricultural community.
How to encourage healthy diets and support local agriculture
Nutrition incentive programs like SNAP help stretch budgets and put good food on tables.
It takes everyone to bring fresh local food to keiki
Under the ʻĀina Pono initiative, schools are serving nutritious meals using locally sourced ingredients.
69 public schools offer free summer meals. But most kids don't claim them
Low participation in summer meal programs robs the state of more than a million dollars a month in federal reimbursements for the meals.
Study: few Hawaiʻi students have access to after-school meals
A new report by the Food Research & Action Center shows Hawaiʻi near the bottom in terms of serving an after-school supper to low-income students.
When it comes to school breakfast, we can do better
Research shows that when students eat school breakfast they have lower rates of obesity and improved attendance, behavior and grades.
Hawaiʻi schools celebrate farm to school week
From Oct. 2 to 5, students at Kohala public schools will enjoy delicious, fresh cooked meals that will feature local ingredients such as Big Island ground beef, apple bananas, sweet potatoes and pineapple.