18 hours ago
UH program that helps struggling ʻohana on federal chopping block
HONOLULU (KHON2) — A University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa program aimed at helping struggling ʻohana and kūpuna is on the federal chopping block as the U.S. Congress looks at cutting its funding.
UH's SNAP-Ed program, which is run by the College of Tropical Agriculture and Human Resilience, receives federal funding for its operations, which includes teaching ʻohana how to prepare healthy and affordable meals.
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'Our college has been working with local families and kūpuna through SNAP-Ed for more than 20 years,' SNAP-Ed Program Director Jean Butel said. 'Our SNAP-Ed program has become a trusted community partner that helps about 15,000 community members across Hawaiʻi every year. We meet people where they are: public schools, farmer's markets, senior care facilities and other community gathering places.'
In addition to teaching people how to make healthy meals, the program also helps families budget for their groceries and even shows them how to grow their own produce.
According to UH, 91% of participants in the program improved their diet, 83% learned how to budget better and 40% said they could afford more food for their ʻ for the SNAP-Ed program has been completely cut from the budget, which is currently being debated by the federal legislature, which puts local families at risk of losing a vital resource, UH said.
'We are grateful that Hawaiʻi's Congressional delegation fully supports SNAP-Ed,' said college Dean Parwinder Grewal. 'With our geographic isolation, high cost of living and ongoing food insecurity, full funding is essential for Congress to continue supporting Hawaiʻi's SNAP-Ed families and kūpuna.'
Should the federal government approve of the cuts, the program will expire on Sept. 30, potentially further hurting already struggling locals.
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