Daniela Spoto, director of anti-hunger initiatives at the Hawaiʻi Appleseed Center for Law and Economic Justice, said during the pandemic Hawaiʻi went from “one of the most food secure states for children to one of the least.”

Recent reports, including one from the national advocacy group Feeding America, have shown an alarming rise in the number of children at risk of going hungry.

"Our children are some of the most vulnerable in the country," Marvin said.

Hawaiʻi families have until Aug. 2 to sign up to get the last round of pandemic EBT, a substitute for school lunches during the remote school year, according to Nicole Woo from the Hawaiʻi Children's Action Network.

The Department of Education announced it is providing free school lunches to all kids this upcoming school year.

Woo said the impacts of food insecurity could last far beyond the end of the pandemic.

“We know that even short bouts of poverty for children have long lasting effects on their learning and future earning potential,” she said.