HONOLULU (KHON2) — As the federal government shutdown stretches into its fourth week, thousands of Hawai‘i families are feeling the impacts — from missed paychecks to dwindling food assistance.
At The Pantry in Honolulu, demand has nearly tripled. Programs Manager Robin Bremer-Sherley says they’ve registered more than 680 new households this month alone.
“Every month we average 200 to 300 new client households, and we’re at 686 right now,” she said. “It’s definitely sad they have to reach out for these resources.”
Bremer-Sherley says donations from local farmers and the Hawai‘i Foodbank have helped keep shelves stocked, but the lines keep growing.
“We don’t have a day with less than 600 households now,” she added. “One of the first clients we had told me he didn’t know how he was going to feed his kids until he saw a story about The Pantry.”
Last week was the first time The Pantry rolled out a Monday distribution specifically for federal workers. Last week, they had 10 pre-orders; this week, they had over 300.
Many of those now seeking food assistance are federal workers who haven’t been paid in weeks — some still reporting to work without a paycheck. One longtime government employee, who asked to remain anonymous, said the shutdown has created unprecedented stress.
“It’s very frustrating,” she said. “We’re working overtime for free. I think most federal workers feel like we’re being used as pawns.”
Another worker volunteering at The Pantry says helping others brings a sense of purpose during a difficult time.
“From going to having a paycheck to not having one really affects my family,” she said. “Working here helps me get out of that stress. I never thought I’d be in this situation.”
Hawai‘i Foodbank CEO Amy Miller says the timing couldn’t be worse — especially with the looming loss of SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program) benefits, which help feed 165,000 residents statewide.
“We’re already serving twice as many people as we did before the pandemic,” Miller said. “If SNAP runs out, that’s about 13 million meals a month missing from our community.”
Congressman Ed Case says the shutdown’s cascading effects are hitting Hawai‘i hard.
“Our 24,000 federal employees, 48,000 active duty members and their families — none of them should be facing this,” Case said. “This is an avoidable and solvable shutdown that could end in days if leadership acted.”
He said EBT cards will not be replenished, but said “the state is pursuing other alternatives to take care of many of the folks that will be in a very difficult situation if this continues all the way through November.”
Case called the shutdown “a cruel negotiating tactic,” saying federal contingency funds already exist but have not been released.
“It’s essentially trying to increase the pain to the American people rather than decrease it,” he said.
With no end in sight, both food banks and families are bracing for what could be a difficult holiday season — one where many may rely on community generosity just to make it through Thanksgiving.