Food resources for resilient Punawebbers

[Punatang]

This post (#1) will be continually updated to provide the latest resources for Punawebbers.  There is no need to proceed past post #1 if you are just here for assistance. Everything of use to you that comes later in the thread, will always be added here. If you have reached the bold red line, you've gone too far but you can always find a quick link to bring you back to safety - and the food!

Your Punaweb neighbors are scouring the district, media, internet and every other source we can find to offer you help and hope. It can be hard out here in Puna and this thread is here to make things a little easier.  One thing all Punawebbers agree on is that one way or another, everyone needs nourishment.  Hopefully this thread helps you and your family enjoy greater health and resilience.

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https://bigislandnow.com/2026/08/19/snap...cane-lala/
SNAP recipients to be reimbursed from food loss caused by Hurricane Lala
By Big Island Now StaffAugust 19, 2026 · 10:00 AM HST
Current Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) recipients can receive replacement benefits after experiencing food loss during the severe weather and power outages associated with Hurricane Lala.
SNAP replacement benefits allow eligible households to be reimbursed for food purchased with SNAP benefits that was destroyed. The replacement amount will be based on the value of food lost, not to exceed the total monthly SNAP benefit issued to the household....
...The Department of Human Services is committed to making the replacement process as straightforward as possible and is accepting applications statewide.
To qualify, SNAP recipients must submit a signed, written statement reporting the food loss within 10 days of the incident. The statement must include:

• The name of the SNAP participant
  
• Date of food loss (please provide a specific date; not a range)
  
• Estimated value of food lost (please provide a specific dollar amount; not a range)
  
• A description of what occurred and when
  
• Contact information for the participant
  

A sample written statement is available on the Department of Human Services website; however, recipients may submit their own written statement and are not required to use the sample form.
Written statements may be submitted to any Department of Human Services Processing Center statewide. Once received, submissions will be reviewed and validated. Approved applicants will receive replacement benefits following the review process.
For more information, participants are encouraged to visit the  Department of Human Services website or call the Statewide Public Assistance Information Line at 855-643-1643...
More at link...
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The income limits for free and reduced school meals are being increased to 300% of poverty level - meaning more families qualify.
https://hawaiipublicschools.org/school-s...s-program/
The new limits also apply to after-school subsidies with the A+ program.
https://hawaiicommunityengagement.com/af...hool-plus/
To submit an application for Free and Reduced-Price Meal Benefits, please visit EZMealApp.
Effective for the school year 2026-27, the Department has expanded its free meal eligibility to families with household incomes at or below 300% of the federal poverty level (ALICE households) under Act 139 (Session Laws of Hawaiʻi 2025). The expansion builds on the first phase of the law, implemented during the 2025–26 school year, which eliminated meal charges for students who qualified for reduced-price meals under the National School Lunch Program. Eligible students will receive one free breakfast and one free lunch each school day.
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Find Food Now - The Food Basket (Hawaii Island Food Bank) locations ++   https://www.hawaiifoodbasket.org/find-food-now

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Hóōla Farms offers training classes and workshops that help Big Island veterans and community members grow food.

From personal experience I can vouch for the organization and their offerings.  You may be familiar with the "Farm to Car" program.

In August they will have their: Seed to Plate workshop

"Seed to Plate covers the basics of growing food in Hawaiʻi. We’ll bring in community experts to cover how to get your garden started, keep it healthy, harvest it, and cook with your freshly grown ingredients — plus farm tours to learn directly from local growers and farmers."

The classes are fun and informative.  They are typically free for veterans.  If you are not a veteran but feel the cost of a class is out of reach, just call them and explain your situation.  It is worth the effort.

https://hoolafarms.org/program/groundwork-to-grow/

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Use the SNAP retailer locator to find the retailers closest to you who accept SNAP/EBT

https://www.fns.usda.gov/snap/retailer-locator

Actual Locator Tool Shortcut >>>>>  SNAP Locator Tool

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Punatics know how hard it can be to get groceries out here.  The best deals for us are at Wal-mart but it's expensive to get there and back in a vehicle, assuming you even have access to one.  Wal-mart runs can also be daunting to manage with the bus.  One solution is The Wal-mart+ Assist Memership. If you have almost any type of government subsidy like SNAP, WIC, Medicaid (Quest) and more, for $6.47 per month you can get free delivery and more from Walmart.  It's not just groceries - it's almost everything they offer. Without the subsidy it costs $12.95 per month.  There is even a free 30 day trial.                                                             https://www.walmart.com/plus/assist


Amazon offers an almost identical membership for Prime if you qualify for almost any type of government subsidy.  Try Prime Access for 30 days for $0 and then $6.99 per month after the trial period ends. Cancel at any time.

https://www.amazon.com/amazonprime?primeCampaignId=accessWlpPrimeRedir&ref_=amacspr

Check out their "Amazon Saver" grocery prices!  It's not as hard to get food in Puna anymore!
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"Simple and healthy local meals that don't break the bank"  https://nutritioncenter.ctahr.hawaii.edu...OOK-V2.pdf

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HEAL with Hawaii Island Healthy Eating - "promoting health and well being across Hawaii Island"
This is an amazing site with links to almost any kind of food resources imaginable, right here on BI.  Find farmers markets, food baskets, SNAP assistance and more!  

https://www.hiphi.org/hawaii/hawaii-isla...ving-heal/

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Hawaii Nutrition Center can be an amazing resource for Punawebbers.  https://nutritioncenter.ctahr.hawaii.edu/

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Hawaii Farm-to-Car is a great way to acquire the freshest produce and products while supporting Big Island farmers and creators.


They take SNAP/EBT and participate in DaBux program.

• Create your customer account and shop online. Our market shop is open for purchases from 10 AM Friday until 6 PM Monday.Wednesday: Distribution Day! Pick up your order from one of three distribution locations from 
  
• • Hilo 3-6 PM: 355 Kino'ole Street
    
  • Kea‘au 3-6 PM: 16-492 Old Volcano Rd
    
  • Pepeʻekeo 3-5 PM 28-1099 Old Mamalahoa Hwy
    

CLICK HERE TO SHOP!

https://shop.hawaiifarmtocar.org/Index
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by ironyak - "Every year, Hawaiʻi Foodbank partners with the State of Hawaiʻi Office of Community Services and the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Food and Nutrition Service to organize the Senior Farmers’ Market Nutrition Program. Hawaiʻi’s SFMNP offers eligible seniors $50 worth of coupons (10 coupons valued at $5 each) to obtain eligible foods without charge from participating farmers, farmers’ markets and roadside stands that have been approved to accept SFMNP coupons. Through SFMNP, kūpuna are provided with nutritious foods as well as education to emphasize the relationship of proper nutrition to good health."  https://hawaiifoodbank.org/get-help/sfmnp/

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By Olohena 1790 - buy 1 fishing pole and a RockStar drink from J Hara Store and drive to coast. duh duh duh

By LeilaniDude - You can also buy a box of frozen squid to use as bait, with that SNAP card.

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                                                     FOOD

[HiloJulie]

Ummmm...
https://nutritioncenter.ctahr.hawaii.edu...d-to-grow/

[ironyak]

Jeez, does the "I care a whole lot but can't put any time at all into reading anything" lesson have no end?

https://nutritioncenter.ctahr.hawaii.edu...d-to-grow/
"Due to federal funding cuts, SNAP-Ed has been defunded nationwide as of 9/30/25. "Food to Grow" has been discontinued. "

[Punatang]

To go straight to the food and resources click here >  TAKE ME TO THE FOOD!!

[Punatang]

More great news and resources to make Punawebbers more resilient:

https://www.hiphi.org/hawaii/hawaii-isla...ving-heal/

Hawaiʻi Island HEAL works in tandem with all of our Hawaiʻi Island coalitions to cultivate a healthier Hawaiʻi Island community. We believe in lifting up community members to achieve positive health outcomes and we do it by collaborating with partners across a wide range of sectors and Hawaiʻi Island districts.
Hawaiʻi Island coalition coordinators work to advance local level policies aimed to increase access to healthy foods and active transportation and supports statewide policies focused on healthy eating and active living through the HEAL Statewide Coalition .

[ironyak]

PT - There is so much valuable information at https://nutritioncenter.ctahr.hawaii.edu/ that is 100% useful right now to Punawebbers.

Yeah, in looking at their HNC Food Skills Cookbook (97pg PDF), there are lots of explanations of tools and food prep, detailed lists of local ingredients, and dozens of recipes made and tested by UH-educated experts, with nutritional info all arranged around the sensible portions of the old USDA MyPlate, as championed by Michelle Obama. Local ingredients, local expertise, and local first family seal of approval, what's not to love? Good find!

PT - More great news and resources
https://www.hiphi.org/hawaii/hawaii-isla...ving-heal/

Another interesting one - here's their:

• Recent links to local food banks and help with registering for SNAP assistance.
  
• Guidance on Sorting Fact from Fiction: Navigating health misinformation and disinformation online
  
• Discussion on the challenges posed by "significant political interference in public health decision-making through the forced publishing of scientifically false claims linking vaccines and autism" and "the rollback of the universal recommendation of the hepatitis B vaccine dose for newborns, putting babies at unnecessary risk for chronic liver disease"
  
• COVID-19 resource hub to help you and your community stay informed, safe, and healthy.
  

All a bit unexpected coming from you, but I'll take the promotion of sane, science-based resources wherever it can be found.

Lots of other interesting info on these sites (Farm to school programs, legislature advocacy initiatives, etc) - anything else you wanted to highlight from them Punatang?

[leilanidude]

All these websites to get help from. I guess it is a good thing the government also gives out internet for as much as zero dollars to some folks, others have to pay $10-$15.

You can get free or heavily discounted internet from the government through the federal Lifeline program, which provides a monthly discount for low-income households or those on benefits like SNAP or Medicaid; you apply through a participating internet provider or the National Verifier, and your provider can often make the service free if the discount covers the whole cost.

[ironyak]

leilanidude - I guess it is a good thing the government also gives out internet for as much as zero dollars to some folks

Good thing indeed, no guessing required - it's hard to get by these days without internet access when everything is online. In addition to Lifeline, there are other free and reduced plans through local providers:

https://connectkakou.org/financial-assistance
"You may be eligible for free or low-cost Internet service through one of the programs below. This may include assistance with startup costs and free or discounted equipment. Connect Kākou is working to make sure everyone in Hawai‘i has access to an affordable, fast Internet connection."

[HiloJulie]

All these websites to get help from. I guess it is a good thing the government also gives out internet for as much as zero dollars to some folks, others have to pay $10-$15.

You can get free or heavily discounted internet from the government through the federal Lifeline program, which provides a monthly discount for low-income households or those on benefits like SNAP or Medicaid; you apply through a participating internet provider or the National Verifier, and your provider can often make the service free if the discount covers the whole cost.

Interesting to note, is that "Connect Kākou" is a program which allows for low cost or even free internet access as well as internet access in rural areas on each Island of Hawaii and is funded through the Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment, or BEAD program which was originally included in the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act of 2021. (Thanks Joe!)

However, since January of 2025, the funding for the BEAD program was thwarted time and time and time again with sudden required review after review, as well as constantly changing requirements, attempted forcing of the sole use of a certain individuals satellite internet company, attempts to remove union labor or prevailing wage requirements for workers involved in installing the infrastructure needed among other delay tactics. (Thanks Don!)

Then another shiny object flew by to distract all of this and the federal funding for the Connect Kākou finally happened in late 2025. 

So yes, while one can get free or very reduced cost internet access here in Puna, it was a significant root canal to get it and almost did not happen.

[Punatang]

To go straight to the food and resources click here > TAKE ME TO THE FOOD!!