Hawaiʻi Appleseed and Hawaiʻi Children’s Action Network are teaming up to ensure families with keiki can purchase enough food this summer.

HONOLULU, Hawaiʻi — Two local nonprofits are working to mitigate child hunger with the help of a $100,000 grant from Safeway and Safeway Foundation’s Nourishing Neighbors Program.

Hawaiʻi Appleseed Center for Law and Economic Justice and Hawaiʻi Children’s Action Network (HCAN) are partnering with the Department of Human Services to help families with children access Summer Pandemic-EBT (Summer P-EBT), a federal food assistance program.

This summer, qualified families will automatically receive $438 per child in food purchasing assistance. Eligible children include children under age 6 enrolled in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) and students who were receiving free or reduced-price school lunch at the end of the school year.

Children who are newly eligible for SNAP or free or reduced-price school lunch can still receive the full benefit. Families can currently apply to see if they are eligible for Summer P-EBT benefits by the deadline of August 2. More information is available at hawaiifoodhelp.com.

“This generous donation from Safeway and Safeway Foundation Nourishing Neighbors will help Hawaiʻi Appleseed and HCAN address hunger issues in our community by connecting individuals in need with federal programs designed to reduce hunger issues,” said Gavin Thornton, executive director of Hawaiʻi Appleseed.

Safeway Foundation’s Nourishing Neighbors program aims to fight hunger by helping keep food banks stocked, supporting meal distribution programs at schools, and supporting programs that provide food to seniors. This includes helping connect qualified individuals with P-EBT and other federal meal programs.

“At this critical time for keiki, we’re grateful that Safeway and Safeway Foundation Nourishing Neighbors are partnering with us to help ensure our neighbors have enough to eat,” said Deborah Zysman, executive director of Hawaiʻi Children’s Action Network. 

Throughout the pandemic, Hawaiʻi Appleseed and HCAN have been at the forefront of advocacy efforts to mitigate the health, economic, and educational impacts on low-income and working-class children and families across the state.

“As families navigate the economic impacts of the pandemic, the Summer P-EBT benefits will relieve some of the financial stressors of accessing healthy and nutritious meals for children,” said Cathy Betts, director of the Department of Human Services. “Hawaiʻi Appleseed and Hawaiʻi Children’s Action Network have been tremendous partners in maximizing community outreach efforts and galvanizing the public and private sectors to help in publicizing the multiple P-EBT campaigns, to include the important information about Summer P-EBT.”

The efforts by Hawaiʻi Appleseed and HCAN are bolstered by partners like Safeway Foundation’s Nourishing Neighbors, whose goal is to ensure those who live in the communities served by Safeway have enough food to eat. 

“We’re always looking for the best ways to fight hunger in the communities we serve. By partnering with top-notch organizations like Hawaiʻi Appleseed and HCAN, we know we can make a difference in the lives of our neighbors who are facing food insecurity issues,” said  Clayton Eto, Safeway Hawaiʻi District Manager. “We appreciate the work of Hawaiʻi Appleseed and HCAN to help qualifying individuals in our neighborhoods connect with existing federal meal programs.” 

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Hawai‘i Appleseed is working to build a more socially just Hawai‘i, where everyone has genuine opportunities to achieve economic security and fulfill their potential. We change systems that perpetuate inequality and injustice through policy development, coalition building, and advocacy. For more information, visit hiappleseed.org.

Hawaiʻi Children’s Action Network (HCAN) is a nonprofit creating a unified voice for Hawaiʻi’s children. Its grassroots movement strives to ensure that all keiki are safe, healthy, and ready to learn. For more information, visit www.hawaii-can.org.