United Way grants support food and housing security on Hawaii Island

A $64,000 grant round will only scratch the surface of Hawaii Island’s hunger and housing crisis. At The Food Basket’s planned 24.5-acre campus in Hilo, Hawaii Island United Way marked World Hunger Day by awarding support to nine local nonprofits, while leaders said 28 organizations had asked for $622,000.

The grants were aimed at the basic systems residents rely on when food prices, rent and wages do not line up. Among the groups recognized were Waikoloa Grows, Island of Hawaii YMCA, Kōkua Harvest, Neighborhood Place of Puna, Hawaii Institute of Pacific Agriculture, Bridge House, Hawaiian Community Assets and Habitat for Humanity, organizations that collectively work on everything from gleaning and meal distribution to housing navigation and household stability.

The setting mattered as much as the check total. The ceremony took place at the site of The Food Basket’s future Agricultural Innovation Park and Food Systems Campus, a long-term Hilo project that leaders have described as more than a warehouse or distribution point. The campus has already shown signs of progress on the 24.5-acre property, including on-site planting such as a breadfruit tree, and earlier plans framed it as a way to remove barriers to farming while building a stronger local agricultural economy.

Kristin Frost Albrecht said 43 percent of Hawaii Island residents are facing food insecurity, a rate she described as the highest in the state. That figure underscores how much pressure is landing on the island’s nonprofit safety net, especially in a county where food costs and housing costs push the same households into repeated crises.

Jessica Thompson said the grant round drew 28 applications totaling $622,000, nearly 10 times the money available. That gap shows the limits of one-time philanthropy: even when awards reach groups already working in neighborhoods from Waikoloa to Puna, the scale is still far smaller than the need. The grants may help keep fresh produce moving, meals served and housing help available in the next few months, but they do not close the wider gap in Hawaii Island’s food and housing security.