The Food Basket, Hawai‘i Island’s food bank, to receive $2M in federal funds

The Food Basket, Hawaiʻi Island’s food bank, is set to receive $2 million in federal funding it will use to build a new steel farmers market pavilion for local farmers, food vendors and small businesses to sell produce.

It will be part of The Food Basket’s Hoʻolako Agriculture Innovation Park, which is projected to create or sustain nearly 190 agricultural jobs and significantly expand the processing capacity for local staple crops.

U.S. Sen. Brian Schatz, a Hawai‘i Democrat, secured the funds for the nonprofit in this year’s federal appropriations deal.

“This new earmark funding will help more people on Hawai‘i Island put healthy, locally grown food on their tables, benefiting both local farmers and families in need,” said Schatz, a senior member of the U.S. Senate Appropriations Committee.

By integrating traditional agricultural knowledge with modern innovation, the park will reduce the island’s 90% dependency on imported food and create a more stable supply chain, according to a release from Schatz’s office.

“The inclusion of $2 million for the Hoʻolako Farmers Market Pavilion in the 2026 federal budget is a transformative victory for food security on Hawai‘i Island,” said The Food Basket Executive Director Kristin Frost Albrecht. “This investment allows us to build a permanent, community-centered space that bridges the gap between our hardworking local farmers and the families who rely on fresh, nutritious food.”

Frost Albrecht added that the federal support strengthens the local food system and paves the way for a more self-reliant and resilient Hawai‘i.

Recent data found that 43% of households, or about 90,000 people on Hawai‘i Island, struggle to access consistent, nutritious meals.

The Food Basket, as the island’s food bank, distributes more than 3.5 million pounds of food annually through a network of more than 100 partner agencies.

It also administers the statewide DA BUX Double Up Food Bucks program that makes Hawaiʻi-grown fruits and vegetables more affordable for beneficiaries of the federal Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP and still commonly referred to as food stamps, giving them a 50% discount on local produce.