Action Alert: Support Food Equity & ʻŌiwi Food Systems
Two bills seeking to address rising hunger rates in Hawaiʻi while supporting local farmers have a hearing in the House Committee on Finance on Thursday. A bill to support healthy loko iʻa (fishpond) operations is being heard before the Senate Committee on Ways and Means on Friday. Please submit testimony in support!
Thursday, February 22, 2024 at 1:00 p.m.
Conference Room 308 & Videoconference
Written Testimony due Wednesday, February 21st
Support HB 2771, HD1 - Funding for DA BUX
What Does This Bill Do?
Appropriates funds for the continued administration of the Hawaii healthy food incentive program and to provide matching funds to beneficiaries who participate in the supplemental nutrition assistance program.
Why Is This Important? Sample Testimony:
Aloha Chair Yamashita, Vice Chair Kitagawa and Members of the Committee,
I am testifying in strong support of HB 2771, HD1.
DA BUX program partners with food retailers to make Hawaiʻi grown fruits and vegetables more affordable for SNAP-EBT cardholders. Through DA BUX, SNAP benefit dollars are doubled when they’re spent on qualifying local food items at more than 70 participating retail locations statewide. Those items tend to be healthier produce and fresh foods and being locally sourced directly supports Hawaiʻi’s food economy.
Even before the pandemic, DA BUX program was succeeding. Now more than ever, it is changing lives for the better in four very tangible and important ways including:
Putting more food on the tables of local families in need
Providing incentives that encourage people to buy locally grown and produced food
Strengthening the local economy by keeping more dollars in Hawaiʻi
Improving local health by providing incentives to eat fresher, unprocessed foods
DA BUX program works and should be continued and expanded upon where possible. The program is a tangible solution to supporting local food production and helping families access quality fresh food.
Thank you for your consideration,
Your Name, Town
Testimony due Weds, 2/21/24
(You will need a Capitol website account)
Support HB 2590, HD1 - Farm to Foodbank
What Does This Bill Do?
Appropriates funds for food bank purchases from local farmers
Why Is This Important? Sample Testimony:
Aloha Chair Yamashita, Vice Chair Kitagawa and Members of the Committee,
I am testifying in strong support of SB 2590 HD1.
Sadly, hunger is on the rise in Hawaiʻi and therefore so is the number of households which rely on food banks. This measure would provide a source of funding for the program to fund state food banks to purchase, store, and transport food grown or produced in Hawaiʻi to local communities for distribution. This program will serve our food needs, provide local food producers with a supporting market and keep money in Hawaiʻi, benefiting our economy.
In addition to reducing hunger, food banks help to build communities by providing jobs and purchasing goods and services from local businesses, creating an economic stimulus in the areas they serve. Importantly, food donations also help low-income families free up money to meet other basic needs.
Supporting locally sourced food benefits the local economy, helps us become less dependent on tourism and more resilient and secure as an island chain. Growing, processing, and distributing food locally creates and sustains community-based jobs. Direct marketing channels between farmers and consumers boosts local farmers' incomes.
Closer proximity relationships with our food will in turn also reduce carbon emissions related to shipping and packaging waste associated with importation from the United States.
Please support SB 2590 HD1 to help grow Hawaiʻiʻs agricultural sector and bolster local food security. Mahalo for your consideration!
Your Name, Town
Testimony due Weds, 2/21/24
(You will need a Capitol website account)
Senate Committee on Ways & Means
Friday, February 23, 2024 at 10:30 AM
Conference Room 211 & Videoconference
Support SB 2329 - Healthy Loko Iʻa
What Does This Bill Do?
Appropriates funds, including for positions, equipment, and maintenance and operating costs, for mullet production for fishponds and stock enhancement.
Why Is This Important? Sample Testimony:
Aloha Chair Dela Cruz, Vice Chair Moriwaki and Members of the Committee,
I am testifying in strong support of SB 2329.
Restored loko iʻa or fishponds are a key component of a healthy ahupuaʻa system. They play an important environmental function supporting healthy nearshore fisheries and bolstering local food security.
Loko iʻa (fishponds) remain a key resource for sustainably feeding local communities. Loko iʻa are also important cultural sites providing space for communities to gather, connect to place, learn and mālama.
Please support SB 2329.
Mahalo for your consideration!
Your Name, Town
View HAPA’s 2024 Fair & Sustainable Food Systems Policy Agenda
Join us this session in supporting a broad array of bills designed to support local farmers, food producers, increase local food production, address inequities in our food system such as food insecurity, and support regenerative and indigenous farming/food production practices.
See more information below about HAPA’s 2024 FSFS policy agenda below and take action in support of these Fair & Sustainable Food System policy priorities!
New to Legislative Engagement? Learn more about how to engage in the Legislative Session!
Make sure you have set up your account on the Hawaii State Legislature website. If you are new to the process, see this helpful page on legislative engagement 101 from the Public Access Room including a link on how to submit testimony!
About Hawaiʻi Alliance for Progressive Action
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The Hawaiʻi Alliance for Progressive Action (HAPA) is deeply committed to championing social, economic, and environmental justice throughout Hawaiʻi. Recognizing the interconnected nature of food systems, we underscore that the challenges plaguing these systems are not isolated from broader social, economic, and environmental concerns. We believe in an integrated approach that addresses these interdependencies to create a just, equitable, and sustainable future for Hawaiʻi.
Contact: info@hapahi.org | (808) 212-9616
