Thousands of keiki now eligible for free school meals

Previously, the cap on income to qualify for free meals was just under $50,000 for a family of four. Genevieve Mumma, the senior food equity policy analyst at Hawai’i Appleseed, said this created a substantial gap where working families were being missed.

“It really is to get those people who are working who are needing that extra assistance because they’re struggling to pay their rent, pay for food, childcare, whatever it is,” Mumma said to HPR. “We’re hopefully trying to cover those people who fell through the cracks before.”

Mumma referred to Asset Limited, Income Constrained, Employed families — or ALICE families — who often were lost in the middle ground of making just over the income limits, but not enough to live comfortably or, in some cases, afford basic necessities. A 2024 report stated that over 160,000 households across Hawai’i fell into the ALICE gap.