Legislative Update: HFIA Testifies on Food, Water and other Supplies Report continued from page 10 3. Centralized Information Hub: To facilitate coordination and communica- tion during disaster situations, we recom- mend the establishment of a central loca- tion for necessary information. This hub should serve as a resource for nonprofits, community helpers, food distribution en- tities, and food retail companies. It should provide a clear understanding of what is needed and who to contact to gain access to disaster areas and supply mass feed- ing centers. A comprehensive information repository will promote efficient collabora- tion among stakeholders and streamline our response efforts. We believe that implementing these rec- ommendations will significantly enhance Hawaii's readiness to respond to food supply challenges during times of crisis. By partnering with both the private sector and non-profit organizations, we can lever- age their expertise and resources to better serve our communities. We are committed to working closely with the FWSWG Work- ing Group to help turn these suggestions into actionable measures that ensure the safety and well-being of our residents.
was the lack of a sustainable funding plan at the State level. What the Federal funders want to see in programs like DA BUX that have received multiple federal awards, is support at the local level for the program to be self-sustaining from sources other than federal funds.” Governor Green’s decision to allocate half a million dollars to DA BUX along with the previ- ous Federal grant from 2021 will enable DA BUX to continue to operate for about 8 more months. To keep DA BUX going after that, additional funds will be needed. While the Governor’s allo- cation from this year definitely shows important state support, more consistent state funding is necessary to secure the Federal grants and matching philanthropic funds for DA BUX. In short, it’s vital that some form of funding for DA BUX passes during the 2024 Legislative Session. HFIA, is looking forward to working with The Food Basket, the Hawaii Good Food Alliance, Ulupono Initiative, the Department of Agriculture, the Farm Bureau, and the many other supporters and stakeholders to support this vital program at the Legislature. A crit- ical piece in ensureing that DA BUX funding makes it through the legislature this year will be garnering even more public support. HFIA will be sending out Action Alerts to member- ship when DA BUX funding bills are being heard so that members can submit testimony in support. We encourage all members and local food supporters to respond and share these to help create long term stability for this win-win-win program.
included in the Senate version of the State Bud- get bill, but was not included in the House ver- sion, or the final version that eventually passed. When funding through the legislature failed HFIA and others reached out to Governor Josh Green to urgently request discretionary funds be allocated to the program. This advocacy was Governor Green’s decision to allocate half a million dollars to DA BUX along with the previous Federal grant from 2021 will enable DA BUX to continue to operate for about 8 more months. successful and the Governor allocated a record $500,000 to support the program. These crucial funds will keep the program alive into 2024. During this time The Food Basket was also working to secure the necessary GusNIP Grants to ensure the continued operation of DA BUX. Regretably, the funding released by the Governor came after the grant had been closed and it was too late to be taken into ac- count as part of the 2023 grant application. The GusNIP grant for this year was denied. NEXT STEPS Kristin Frost Albrecht, Executive Director of the Food Basket discussed the explanation they were given for the grant being denied, “The pri- mary reason for the denial of the grant this year
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