Hawaii Foodbank has received a commitment from Matson Inc. to provide another $5 million in cash and in-kind shipping services to support food banks in Hawaii, Alaska and Guam.

The new commitment extends an earlier pledge from the state’s largest ocean transportation company to provide up to $5 million in assistance over 2021, 2022 and 2023 as part of its pandemic response plan. Matson is committing another $5 million in support for the next three years, and it 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, 1 in 6 Hawaii residents continue to struggle with hunger.

Since the start of the partnership, Hawaii Foodbank has been able to draw on Matson’s support to transport nearly 200 containers of food from the mainland to Hawaii. This has translated into 4 million meals.