Fellows mentioned in this story: Amy Miller

From Honolulu Star-Advertiser:

The Hawai‘i Foodbank is providing food to pantries at 35 O‘ahu schools to supplement the meals of students who don’t get enough food at home, including during the summer months when a school lunch is not available as their most consistent meal.

The Food 4 Keiki School Pantry Program and three other food bank plans are meant to take the bite out of the bitter finding that nearly 1 in 3 households in the state experienced food insecurity in 2023, according to a Hawai‘i Foodbank report.

When the report was released in May, Hawai‘i Foodbank President and CEO Amy Miller said, “In households with food insecurity, 29% had children experiencing food insecurity. Six percent of children didn’t eat for a whole day because there wasn’t enough money for food.”

Miller worried that insufficient food at such a young age could lead to physical, cognitive and developmental impairment, resulting in lower academic achievement.

In addition to Oahu, the Food 4 Keiki School Pantry Program also serves 14 schools on Kauai and one on Niihau, a total of 50. On the Big Island and Maui, Hawai‘i Foodbank partners supply the school pantries in their districts.

Continue reading at staradvertiser.com.