Hawaii Gov. Josh Green fields questions from the audience during a press conference announcing a state relief plan to help families affected by the cuts in Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits due to the government shutdown. Courtesy photo

Hawaii Gov. Josh Green announced on Thursday a relief plan to help people affected by cuts in food assistance due to the federal government shutdown.

“No one should go hungry or lose stability because of gridlock in Washington,” Green said. “When federal support is paused, Hawaii stands up. We take care of one another and act with urgency and aloha to protect our people.”

During a news conference, Green said the assistance food program would issue $250 in emergency relief pay per eligible individual at a cost of $42.3 million in November. Green said the first payment will be delivered on or before Nov. 14. He said the payments will be coming from money in the state’s general fund.

Green said that without any guarantees the federal government will reopen this week or next week, the relief program will help people bridge the gap during the pause in federal SNAP funding.

Additionally, spearheaded by the House Majority Caucus last session to purchase locally produced food, the state is releasing $500,000 for the Farm to Families program.

Hawaii state and county officials along with nonprofit service groups are girding for widespread federal cuts as Congress is close to finishing its first month without a budget.

State officials point out more than 160,000 Hawaii residents will be affected by the cuts to SNAP that take effect Nov. 1. The cuts will affect more than 27,900 Hawaii households and 62,600 children.

The state attorney general has joined some 25 states in seeking a temporary restraining order to halt the cuts. U.S. District Judge Indira Talwani of Massachusetts has raised questions about suspending all federal food benefits, indicating she plans to issue a ruling.

Green said the SNAP cuts in Hawaii will be devastating, resulting in the state losing $57 million a month.

Green said he has authorized the use of $100 million in Temporary Assistance for Needy Families to help families who may be experiencing financial hardship in their housing, rent, mortgage or utilities.

His administration is also encouraging people affected by the SNAP cuts to seek help from a Hawaii relief program to see if they qualify for assistance.

State Department Human Services deputy director Joseph Campos Il said his department is working with the Maui Economic Opportunity and Catholic Charities to determine eligibility for the program.

State House Speaker Nadine Nakamura praised Green’s administration for coming up with a multi-range food response and the state attorney general for joining other states in the lawsuit.

“No resident should go hungry in Hawaii,” Nakamura said. “No child should face malnutrition.”

Hawaii Food Bank president Amy Miller said about one in three households in Hawaii is food insecure, meaning they don’t have enough food for everybody to live a healthy, active lifestyle.

She said about one in 10 of our households is going without food for whole days some or most months of the year.

“This is unacceptable,” she said.

Miller praised state leaders for stepping up to make sure people get the support they need to feed their families and have a roof over their heads.

Miller said Hawaii food banks are serving about twice as many people as they did prior to the pandemic and about as many people as they did during the height of the pandemic.

To support federal employees affected by the shutdown, the Maui Food Bank partnered on Oct. 11 with Maui residents Sharon Banaag and Sergeant Evagelista along with the Hawaii Army National Guard to assist with bagging, boxing and distributing food.

The group is taking bulk items directly to worksites and supporting pick-up for Transportation Security Administration employees, the military, U.S. Coast Guard personnel and other government employees. The food distribution totaled 21,391 pounds, including rice, fresh produce milk, eggs and ground venison, serving some 350 families.