Matson Increases Support for Local Food Banks to $10 Million
Hawaii Foodbank
Hawai‘i Foodbank has received a commitment from Matson to provide another $5 million in cash and in-kind shipping services to support food banks in Hawai‘i, Alaska and Guam.
Hawai‘i Foodbank has received a commitment from Matson to provide another $5 million in cash and in-kind shipping services to support food banks in Hawai‘i, Alaska and Guam.
The new commitment extends Matson’s earlier pledge to provide up to $5 million in assistance over 2021, 2022 and 2023 as part of its pandemic response plan, committing another $5 million in support for the next three years, and comes at a time when local families are facing new hardship with the ending of federal SNAP benefits in the midst of an inflationary environment. Currently, one in six Hawai‘i residents continues to struggle with hunger.
Since the start of the partnership, Hawai‘i Foodbank has been able to draw on this support to transport nearly 200 containers of food from the mainland to Hawai‘i, allowing the nonprofit organization to redirect roughly $2 million in transportation costs to program support and the purchase of additional food to support the needs of communities on all islands. This has translated into providing food for more than four million meals.
“This partnership has saved Hawai‘i Foodbank millions of dollars in the last few years, which is money that – instead of paying for shipping – is going directly into providing more food to our local community.”
“This is something we can do to help food banks put more of their funding toward sourcing food for distribution,” said Matt Cox, Chairman and CEO of Matson. “We are committed to helping meet community needs in the way we know best – by getting much needed supplies delivered as quickly and efficiently as possible.”
“Matson’s support of Hawai‘i Foodbank has been nothing short of transformational for our organization and the community that we serve. By underwriting our shipping costs, this partnership has saved Hawai‘i Foodbank millions of dollars in the last few years, which is money that – instead of paying for shipping – is going directly into providing more food to our local community,” said Amy Miller, president and CEO of Hawai‘i Foodbank.
Added Marvin, “Last year alone, the amount of Matson’s in-kind services helped provide food for nearly two million meals. On top of that, their partnership has opened up new channels to bring in fresh, nutritious foods from our partners on the continent that we never would have been able to contemplate prior to this partnership. For instance, we were able to bring in numerous containers of donated apples, potatoes, carrots and onions from our partners like Feeding the Northwest. Then, through our programs like ‘Ohana Produce Plus, we were able to distribute these healthy food options directly to local keiki, kūpuna, individuals and families in need of food assistance.”
