Summer As It Should Be: How Keiki Can Access Meals This Summer
Hawaii Foodbank
Does your ‘ohana need extra food this summer? Here are 5 food assistance opportunities that can help.
If you were to ask a child what summer means to them, you’d probably hear answers like “no school,” “hanging out with friends,” “eating shave ice,” or “no more homework!” But for some keiki, summer means something different: losing access to the free breakfasts and lunches they rely on during the school year. When those meals end, many of our families are left figuring out how to fill the gap.
Nearly 1 in 3 keiki are facing food insecurity, which means hunger doesn’t get out when school does. That’s why Hawai‘i Foodbank, its partners and a variety of other organizations offer various summer food assistance programs to help nourish our keiki and their families – so we all can experience summer as it should be.
Kaukau 4 Keiki
Kaukau 4 Keiki is a summer meal box program that provides nutritious meals for keiki in rural areas who cannot make it to a summer meal location for breakfast and lunch. Kaukau 4 Keiki provides keiki with nutritious meal boxes filled with groceries to prepare seven days of breakfast and lunch for one child — including shelf-stable fruits and vegetables, proteins, starches, milk, fresh produce, bread and more. Distributions will take place weekly until Aug. 1. Visit HawaiiFoodbank.org/kaukau for more information.
USDA Seamless Summer Option
Through the USDA Seamless Summer Option (SSO), 68 Hawai‘i public schools will provide free breakfasts and lunches to keiki each week from Monday through Friday starting June 12. Keiki do not need to be enrolled in public school to participate. Visit HawaiiPublicSchools.org for more information.
SUN Bucks
SUN Bucks, or Summer EBT, is a program providing benefits to eligible households with school-aged keiki to purchase food during the summer. Your keiki may be automatically enrolled in the SUN Bucks program if your household already participates or participated in SNAP and/or TANF from July 2024, or you applied for and were approved for free or reduced-priced school meals. Visit SUNBucks.DHS.Hawaii.gov for more information.
SUN Meals (Summer Food Service Program)
Through SUN Meals, keiki of all ages can eat meals and snacks during the summer at no cost. SUN Meals can be found at schools, parks, and other neighborhood locations. You can use the SUN Meals Site Finder to determine which location is closest to you. The program is available to children 18 and under; no application needed!
‘Ohana Produce Plus
While ‘Ohana Produce Plus is a year-round Hawai‘i Foodbank program, it can be especially helpful during the summer months when families may need a little extra support. Carried out in partnership with dozens of hunger-relief partners, ‘Ohana Produce Plus gives families more access to fresh fruits and vegetables each month, in addition to other foods like bread, proteins and canned goods. Visit HawaiiFoodbank.org/help to find our Food Assistance Handouts and interactive Food Assistance Finder for more information about ‘Ohana Produce Plus, as well as other resources like food pantries and soup kitchens.
“When I get home, I’m not hungry. And when I’m not hungry, I can go outside and play and have fun.”
Want to Help?
There are a lot of great ways to get involved with ending summer hunger, including volunteering at the Foodbank or one of the summer meal programs listed above. Vital summer programs like Kaukau 4 Keiki and ‘Ohana Produce Plus wouldn’t be possible without the help of volunteers like you. Visit our volunteer page for more information.
Another great way to get involved is by raising awareness — and you can start with your own family! To help, we’ve put together a Summer Action Plan that includes family conversation starters on the topic of hunger, hands-on community action ideas and family activities, keiki activity sheets, a summer checklist to guide your progress, and more.
