Nearly $5 Million Coming to State for School Meals

The federal government is providing funds to boost school meal programs in Hawai‘i.

U.S. Sen. Brian Schatz, a Hawai‘i Democrat, announced Monday, Dec. 20, that the state will receive $4,933,437 from the U.S. Department of Agriculture to fund school meals. This new federal funding will provide meals for children, assisting families facing food insecurity and helping address food shortages because of supply chain issues.

“Kids throughout Hawai‘i get a nutritious meal at school every day,” said Schatz, a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee. “While we work to address supply chain issues, this new federal funding will support Hawai‘i families by making sure their children continue getting these high-quality meals.”

The funding is part of $1.5 billion in USDA grants for states and school districts to address supply chain disruptions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic and make sure increased food costs don’t harm school meal programs. It includes grants from USDA’s Food and Nutrition Service program for school districts to improve the quality and consistency of school meals, USDA Foods to purchase food and offset supply chain disruptions and USDA’s Local Food for Schools program to purchase domestic foods and strengthen local food systems.