LIHU‘E — Since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits have ballooned on Kaua‘i. Changes to the program increased both the number of people receiving benefits and the amount of assistance each beneficiary received.
Yet a new study shows that these benefits remain inaccessible for many food insecure families.
From 2020 to 2021, the total SNAP benefits on Kaua‘i spiked nearly 79%, from a total of $25.6 million to a record high of $45.8 million.
The number of SNAP beneficiaries rose from 3,570 households to another record high of 5,357 households over that time frame.
This number has remained high through 2022, with the average monthly benefits reaching $4 million, more than double the $1.9 million average in 2020, and the number of households falling slightly to 5,221.
Public Information Officer for the State Department of Human Services Amanda Stevens attributed the increased caseload largely to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic across the entire state.
“Prior to that, caseloads were declining for several years due to the good economy,” said Stevens.
Those who were eligible also received emergency supplemental allotments, which allowed “issuance of full SNAP allotment amounts to all active SNAP recipients regardless of their income.”
These allotments have continued through today.
Stevens also attributed the increases to a modernization of the Thrifty Food Plan — used to determine SNAP benefit amounts — which resulted in a substantial increase of approximately 21% in the monthly SNAP allotment.
Despite these increases, many Kaua‘i residents who are food insecure are not receiving SNAP assistance.
In a survey of 177 residents of Kaua‘i who self-identified as food insecure, compiled by Malama Kaua‘i, 46% reported they use SNAP, while 27% said they had applied for the program but were denied. According to Stormy Soza, Food Access Coordinator at Malama Kaua‘i, many fell just below the income threshold.
“The participants said they would like to see the income threshold lowered so they can meet those requirements,” said Soza.
Soza also reported that food insecure people sometimes struggled with the application for benefits, which she described as “a big deterrent.”
In addition, some respondents lost access to benefits due to temporary changes in their work situation.
On the whole, the Malama Kaua‘i survey paints a picture of lingering food insecurity on Kaua‘i even as the economic situation improves.
One in three respondents were unsure if they would have enough to eat every week, 58% said they missed meals monthly, 46% said they were unable to provide healthy foods, and 75% said they cut portion sizes so everyone could eat.
More than half of respondents (54%) reported they experienced hunger pains monthly, and two in three had to decide between buying food or paying bills monthly.
While 23% said their food access was improving over the past few months, 24% said it was getting worse.
Souza attributed this partially to declining government support, as COVID-era programs aimed at the working class expire. One example of this is the 15% SNAP benefit which expired in Sept. 2021.
“We’re supposedly coming out of the pandemic and things are getting back to normal,” said Soza. “That it’s getting worse is just heartbreaking.”
The survey presents a series of recommendations for improving food security on island, from encouraging community gardens, to improving healthy options at food pantries to improving outreach on the support programs that are available.
Key to the effort, Soza says, is a destigmatization of the benefit like SNAP that are available. Instead of viewing these programs as a charity, she hopes they can be seen as a sharing of abundance in the tradition of the island.
“We’re always shared abundance with each other. Whoever has more of this, they share with their neighbor, ” said Soza. “That’s just our way of life.”
