Food shouldn’t be an impossible choice, but unfortunately, for thousands of our Hawaii families, it is. Residents who have already been working to overcome the financial hardships wrought by the pandemic are now faced with the effects of economic instability and a soaring inflation rate.

While we no longer see the long lines for mass food distributions from the start of the pandemic, the problem of food insecurity continues in our community.

Food prices for groceries have increased 13.5% over last year, with some items like eggs increasing almost 40% since prior to the pandemic. Earlier this year, we saw Hawaii gas costs soar to record highs. And on top of this, Hawaii was recently ranked the most expensive state to live in the United States, with a cost of living nearly twice that of the national average.

When difficult times hit, food can be the first thing people forgo to make ends meet. For many, a daily meal is a simple choice of what to eat, but for people facing hunger, it is a very different type of choice. It’s often an impossible choice between food and other crucial needs, such as electricity, childcare and medicine.

Hawai‘i Foodbank continues to experience significant demand for food assistance. In fact, our numbers are up 50% since 2019. Now, more than 200,000 Hawaii residents are currently struggling with food insecurity. Among them are out-of-work parents, isolated kupuna and 1 in 4 keiki.

What’s more, inflation is making our own costs to operate significantly more expensive, from fueling our trucks to the rising price of food. Hawai‘i Foodbank purchases a large portion of the food we distribute to ensure we can meet the growing demand in our community. Our food purchase budget alone is $8.3 million this year.

We are incredibly fortunate to live in a place where our community takes care of each other, and we are especially lucky at Hawai‘i Foodbank to witness this generosity on a daily basis.

However, with food insecurity challenging so many of our families, local food banks need your support now more than ever. We just wrapped up Hunger Action Month, but the need persists. Please consider helping to end hunger in Hawaii by considering the following:

>> Make a donation to your local food bank. Get creative — make your own coffee and lunch for a month and donate your savings, or start a Facebook fundraiser.

>> Organize a local food drive at your workplace or school.

>> Volunteer at your local food bank or pantry and ask friends and family to join you.

>> Write to your elected officials and stress that access to quality, nutritious food is a fundamental human right.

Keeping food out of the waste stream is also key. In Hawaii, nearly one-quarter of all food and beverage purchases end up in the trash. Consider donating your unspoiled, healthy food. Start by going through your pantry and identifying foods you don’t expect to eat. If you don’t have excess food in your pantry, consider a monetary gift, as we are able to stretch those dollars and use them to purchase fresh produce and other healthy perishables like dairy and proteins.

We in the charitable food network are just part of the solution to end hunger. It’s going to take the community coming together, collectively, to resolve that any level of food insecurity in our islands is unacceptable. And, that we need to do something about it.

So, how will you choose to end hunger?

Amy Miller Marvin is president/CEO of the Hawai‘i Foodbank.