UH program serving ‘ohana, keiki and kūpuna threatened by federal budget cuts

Financially struggling families and kūpuna may lose a vital safety net due to federal budget cuts, potentially leading to more people going hungry.

The University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa’s SNAP-Ed (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program Education) program, operated by the College of Tropical Agriculture and Human Resources, is a federally funded initiative currently under threat in the U.S. Congress.

For years, SNAP-Ed has played a key role in teaching ʻohana (families) how to prepare healthy, budget-friendly meals, helping to fight hunger and support community well-being across the state.

“Our college has been working with local families and kūpuna (elders) through SNAP-Ed for more than 20 years,” said Jean Butel, SNAP-Ed program director. “Our SNAP-Ed program has become a trusted community partner that helps about 15,000 community members across Hawaiʻi every year. We meet people where they are: public schools, farmers markets, senior care facilities and other community gathering places.”

Funded through the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, SNAP-Ed teaches eligible ʻohana how to plan meals, stretch their food dollars, compare prices, and even grow their own vegetables.

Data from the direct education classes through the College of Tropical Agriculture and Human Resources highlights the program’s effectiveness:

• 91% of participants improved their diet.
• 83% learned to budget, compare prices and plan meals.
• 40% reported they could afford more food or had enough for the family.

The College of Tropical Agriculture and Human Resources and the Hawaiʻi State Department of Health manage SNAP-Ed programs with a combined $1.57 million budget for this year. However, SNAP-Ed has been eliminated from the federal budget, which is currently being debated by Congress.

“We are grateful that Hawaiʻi’s Congressional delegation fully supports SNAP-Ed,” said College of Tropical Agriculture and Human Resources Dean Parwinder Grewal. “With our geographic isolation, high cost of living, and ongoing food insecurity, full funding is essential for Congress to continue supporting Hawaiʻi’s SNAP-Ed families and kūpuna.”

If Congress does not restore funding, the program will end on Sept. 30. Supporters say that cutting SNAP-Ed programming could hurt ʻohana already struggling with food insecurity and erode the health of communities across the state.