When the Card Stops: Our Shared Plan Forward

By Brooklyn Joy

The Crisis at Hand

Across Puna, families are counting cans, stretching leftovers, and wondering what comes next.

Beginning this month, the federal government has paused food subsidies, raising concern and questions across Puna: What tough decisions lie ahead? And how can we respond to this, together?  

What to know about SNAP

SNAP stands for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, essentially federal food assistance deposited monthly onto an EBT debit card.

Because of the ongoing federal government shutdown, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) notified states that November SNAP issuances are suspended. People may still spend any remaining balance already on their EBT cards, but new deposits are on hold indefinitely. The pause stems from the funding lapse in Washington D.C., where the USDA cannot issue benefits until Congress approves a new budget.

This announcement sparked panic across the nation.

How It Impacts Hawai’i

Roughly 168,000 residents (over 85,000 households) rely on SNAP to survive in Hawaiʻi. Many are families with keiki, kūpuna, and working-class individuals already trying to navigate tight budgets in one of the most expensive food markets in the country.

Whether you personally receive food stamps or not, it’s guaranteed that almost everyone will feel the ripple of the hold.

Hawai‘i already faces some of the highest food costs and one of the highest rates of rural food insecurity in the nation. In Puna District, where grocery access and transportation are limited, and the local economy remains fragile, this disruption could mean skipped meals, new debt, and growing strain on local food banks.

So the question becomes: What can we do right now to make sure our people aren’t forced to choose between health, safety, and survival?

Immediate State Support

In response, Governor Josh Green and the Department of Human Services (DHS) have launched the Hawai‘i Relief Program— a temporary initiative using state TANF (Temporary Assistance for Needy Families) reserve funds. These emergency funds are intended to help families affected by the shutdown cover essential expenses like housing, utilities, and basic household needs. The relief program is designed to bridge the gap until federal funding resumes. Hawai’i Relief Program

Community Partnerships in Motion

Meanwhile, nonprofit and community groups are stepping forward. Vibrant Hawai‘i, in collaboration with local partners and county agencies, is coordinating community relief hubs and resource drives across Hawaiʻi Island. These hubs are distributing fresh produce, household essentials, and connecting families with financial assistance programs. VibrantHawaii.Org

The Hawai‘i Food Basket, our island’s primary food bank, has also expanded its Ohana Food Drops, offering drive-thru distributions of fruits, vegetables, and pantry staples throughout November. HawaiiFoodBasket.Org

Together, these organizations offer us a safety net… but the deeper opportunity lies in what we build among ourselves.

From Relief to Resilience

When systems falter, communities remember their roots.

This is our chance to re-learn what food security really means. It’s not dependency, it’s  a shared responsibility.

As Puna pillar, Stephen Ocean puts it, 

“What we all need is organic reasons to connect.”

And that’s exactly what’s happening now.

The Constant Luau: Remembering the Old Ways

In the heart of Puna, Kanaka Maoli community leader Coates Cobb Adams IV has been holding a vision close for years, one he calls The Constant Luau.

It has been with him since a personal awakening that took him off what he describes as “the path of destruction” and placed him onto a path of patience and perseverance.

At the center of that vision is the imu, the underground oven once used by the ancestors of this land to feed entire villages.

Coates explains that the imu is not just an oven and the luau is not just a celebration. It is a way of life.

Whether it’s cracking open coconuts, harvesting the ulu, catching the fish, chopping the wood, playing the music, butchering the pig, washing the dishes, moving dirt, or entertaining the keiki, the imu is a process that holds so many opportunities for contribution.

“We all gotta eat. We all gotta have purpose. We all gotta love. Get some microbes underneath our fingernails, move some rocks, start a fire… We gotta remember what it means to be human again.”

Puna Ola’s Living Classroom

This vision has found fertile ground in Puna Ola, a growing grassroots initiative rooted in support, innovation, and synarchy.

Puna Ola hosted its first imu luau in September— a gathering that brought people together to learn, cook, build, trust, and feed each other.

Now, in direct response to the shutdown, Puna Ola will host four Imu Luaus every Friday throughout November, turning uncertainty into inspiration.

With designated slots to hold workshops based on resilience, each luau invites the opportunity for people to offer their gifts, skills, and knowledge, becoming a living classroom; teaching the way of the imu, traditional cooking, and teamwork, while aiming to provide hundreds of meals to whoever could use them. 

Alongside these luaus, the Eat Better Together Spaghetti Dinner at O’Phelan Ranch (November 16th) offers another chance to connect, share a meal, and remember that community begins at the table.

(Event link: Eat Better Together)

Our Shared Plan Forward

When government aid pauses, our shared humanity must not.

By combining immediate relief with long-term resilience, we can transform this uncertain moment into a movement— one meal, one table, one luau at a time.

Because when the card stops, the constant luau starts— and the fire that feeds us is already burning in every heart willing to serve.