While navigating federal funding cuts and elevated demand, The Food Basket also is bracing for a potential government shutdown by revisiting measures that ensured unpaid federal workers received access to nutritious food during previous congressional crises.
“The Food Basket’s financial stability remains under threat due to federal funding cuts and rising operational costs. At the same time, community demand is surging, driven by persistent food insecurity and the high cost of living in Hawaii,” said Kristin Frost Albrecht, the food bank’s executive director.
“We continue to move forward with hope and optimism, focusing on local solutions and county-level collaborations to help fill the gap left by reduced federal support. While these efforts cannot fully replace lost funding, they are making a critical impact in our communities.”
Frost Albrecht said that half of the food bank’s budget historically has been provided by federal funding, allowing the nonprofit to work with over 100 agencies like soup kitchens and food pantries to distribute food across the island’s 4,028 square miles.
To clarify the significance of the federal support, Frost Albrecht outlined the impact of over $1 million in grants The Food Basket received through the American Rescue Plan Act.
She said the $500,000 Community Food Security Grant Program the organization launched with the county in September will expand emergency food distribution, refrigeration and storage capacity for anti-hunger nonprofits across all nine districts. Additionally, over $700,000 in funding for agricultural food-production necessities like fencing and tractors recently was distributed to 32 Big Island farmers through the food bank’s Malama Da Farmer grant program.
Frost Albrecht said federal budget rollbacks from earlier this year — particularly a $500 million reduction to the The Emergency Food Assistance Program and the termination of the Local Food Purchase Assistance Cooperative Agreement Program — “posed a devastating threat to our operations.”
She said The Food Basket’s overall reduction in federal emergency food funding this year is $2 million.
“Inflation has driven food prices up by 25% over the past three years, forcing families to choose between food and other essentials,” Frost Albrecht said. “Emergency assistance programs have ended, SNAP cuts have been enacted due to the changes in the Thrifty Food Plan — and demand is now back at pandemic levels. The gap between federal support and community needs continues to grow. Reductions to SNAP benefits and the threat of a federal government shutdown could further strain our resources.”
As the government faces a possible shutdown on Wednesday, Frost Albrecht said The Food Basket is preparing to keep unpaid workers fed by revisiting its efforts from the 35-day government shutdown that lasted from Dec. 22, 2018, to Jan. 25, 2019. In addition to community support and restaurant partnerships, Frost Albrecht said weekly “Ohana Drops” at the Kona airport allowed The Food Basket to provide federal employees working without pay with fresh and nonperishable items.
“On the Hilo side, we opened for special hours on the weekends to coincide with shift changes for federal employees who were working without pay,” Frost Albrecht recalled. “Many of them sleeping in their cars in the parking lots at their worksites due to limited funds to pay for gas and given their homes were long distances away.”
Diversified funding through grant writing and fundraising are among the short-term initiatives currently being implemented to reduce reliance on federal funding, along with adjusting procurement strategies to offset reduced federal shipments and stretch donations by buying lower-cost items, Frost Albrecht said. Public awareness campaigns also will be ongoing to raise awareness about the impact of the federal cuts and encourage community support, she said.
“Our Hawaii Island community had always wrapped their collective strong arms around our many families and individuals in need during times of crisis,” Frost Albrecht said. “Their incredible kokua and big warm hearts are what keeps everyone upright and surviving during dire times. Our island community lives and breathes aloha like no other.”
Email Kyveli Diener at kdiener@hawaiitribune-herald.com.