Matson pledges more support for Hawaiʻi Foodbank as food insecurity rises statewide

Matson is increasing its support for the Hawaiʻi Foodbank and absorbing more shipping costs as demand for food rises across the islands.

Matson is adding more containers to its existing pledge of in-kind shipping services and will be shipping 400 containers of food from the continental U.S. for the Hawaiʻi Foodbank through 2027.

The additional pledge builds on an existing six-year, $10 million commitment and further enables Hawaiʻi Foodbank to allocate additional funds to the purchase of more food for people in need.

“With food insecurity affecting nearly a third of households in Hawaiʻi, it’s clear that this problem is affecting individuals and families in every community,” said Matt Cox, chairman and CEO of Matson. “We are proud to support the work of Hawaiʻi Foodbank and its partners by doing what we do best, moving critical supplies quickly and efficiently, to help ensure families across Hawaiʻi have access to food.”

With its savings from the shipping costs, Hawaiʻi Foodbank is better able to direct critical resources not only toward purchasing more food but also expanding distribution statewide to maximize impact.

Each container is capable of carrying about 42,000 pounds of food. With the additional containers alone, the delivery of food is equivalent to 3.5 million meals for families across Hawaiʻi.

“This partnership with Matson has a profound impact on our ability to serve our community,” said Hawaiʻi Foodbank President and CEO Amy Miller. “Reliable shipping support allows us to bring more food into Hawaiʻi and redirect precious dollars toward purchasing nutritious food at deep discounts. With many local families just one or two paychecks away from food insecurity, Matson’s commitment will help tens of thousands of people across our islands.”

According to “The State of Food Insecurity in Hawaiʻi 2024–2025,” 32% of Hawaiʻi households experienced food insecurity during the reporting period.