HomeMy WebLinkAboutCOM 0061.002 2024-202642®25
CENTER FOR LAW & ECONOMIC -JUSTICE
40
Testimony of the Hawaii Appleseed Center for Law and Economic Justice
Support for Resolution 42-25 — Relating to Free School Meals
Hawai `i County Council
January 22, 2025, at 9:OOAM
Dear Chair, Vice Chair, and members of the Council:
Thank you for the opportunity to submit testimony in support of Resolution 42-25, which urges the state
of Hawai'i to implement a universal free school meals program that promotes nutritional equity,
supports local agriculture, and enhances student success.
School meals are one of the government's most powerful tools for delivering proper nutrition, which
is essential for children's health, learning, and long-term development. However, there are still up to one
in four children in Hawaii that regularly go without enough nutritious meals at home.' Hawaii Island
has the highest rate of food insecurity in the entire state, with an alarming 40 percent of households
reporting not having enough food.2 This means that for many children in Hawaii, school breakfast and
lunch are the most nutritious meals they eat in a day.
Federal eligibility for free or reduced price meals requires that households earn below 130% or 185% of
the federal poverty level ($44,850 or $63,825, respectively, annually for a family of four in 2024).
However, Hawai`i's costs of living require that a family with two adults and two children make at least
$104,000 to simply survive.3 This leaves Hawai`i's Asset -Limited, Income -Constrained, Employed
(ALICE) families making slightly above the poverty line ineligible for assistance yet unable to make
ends meet.
Universal free school meals (UFSM) augments the traditional income -based eligibility system and
removes known barriers to participation including economic, administrative, language, and social
challenges. UFSM is a proven strategy to reduce childhood food insecurity and improve the overall
well-being and academic performance of children. A 2022 study of schools implementing UFSM found
an almost 5% decline in households classified as food insecure.4
Thank you for the opportunity to provide testimony in support of Resolution 42-25. We are pleased that
the Hawaii County Council is considering this important issue before the Hawaii state legislature this
session.
' Feeding America estimates of Food Insecurity among the Child (<18 years) Population in Hawaii (2020)
2 Hawai`i Food Bank, The State of Food Security in Hawaii (2023)
'Aloha United Way. ALICE in the Crosscurrents: COVID and Financial Hardship in Hawaii (2023)
4 Journal of Health Economics. "The Effect of Free School Meals on Household Food Purchases" (2022)