Matson Commits $5 Million to Support Community Foodbanks through 2023

HONOLULU (November 25, 2020) – Matson announced today that it has committed $5 million in cash and in-kind shipping services to the foodbank networks supporting families in need in Hawaii, Alaska and Guam. Already a longtime financial supporter in those communities, Matson will provide the foodbanks with ocean shipping of food supplies at no cost for the remainder of 2020 and all of 2021, 2022 and 2023.
     The new commitment follows Matson’s support earlier this year for Hawaii Foodbank and Maui Food Bank, as well as other Hawaii community food security programs, including: Hawaii Meals on Wheels; Show Aloha Challenge; St. Francis Kupuna Meals; Feed My Sheep; KUPU; Hawaii Hotel Industry Foundation food drive and The Salvation Army.
     “With the pandemic affecting incomes for so many, families in all of our communities are under extraordinary strain and foodbanks are struggling to keep up with the need. This is something we can do to help foodbanks put more of their funding toward sourcing food for distribution,” said Matt Cox, Chairman and CEO of Matson. “We are committed to helping meet community needs in the way we know best – by getting much needed basic sustenance supplies delivered as quickly and efficiently as possible.”
     Ron Mizutani, CEO of Hawaii Foodbank, said, “The global pandemic has changed the face of hunger in Hawaii and thousands of people are needing food assistance for the first time in their lives. This support from Matson will help us immensely in our recovery and response at a time when our community needs it most.”
     Before the pandemic, Hawaii Foodbank normally purchased and imported approximately 14 container loads of food supplies annually to accommodate local needs. This year, it will import 107 container loads and estimates it could need 150 container loads in 2021 to meet local community needs.
     Cox added, “While we are all hopeful that vaccines and new treatments will begin to make a difference in 2021, it’s clear that the pandemic’s effects on many local families could be long-lasting. We are committing to support our foodbanks for the next three years in order to help them maximize their capacity to help families recover.”
     Matson operates three ship voyages per week from the West Coast to Honolulu with twice-weekly barge connections to Maui and the Big Island, and three weekly connections to Kauai.
     Detailed service schedules and other information about Matson is available online at Matson.com.


About the Company
Founded in 1882, Matson (NYSE: MATX) is a leading provider of ocean transportation and logistics services.  Matson provides a vital lifeline to the domestic non-contiguous economies of Hawaii, Alaska, and Guam, and to other island economies in Micronesia.  Matson also operates two premium, expedited services from China to Long Beach, California, provides service to Okinawa, Japan and various islands in the South Pacific, and operates an international export service from Dutch Harbor to Asia.  The Company's fleet of owned and chartered vessels includes containerships, combination container and roll-on/roll-off ships and custom-designed barges.  Matson Logistics, established in 1987, extends the geographic reach of Matson's transportation network throughout the continental U.S.  Its integrated, asset-light logistics services include rail intermodal, highway brokerage, warehousing, freight consolidation, Asia supply chain services, and forwarding to Alaska.  Additional information about the Company is available at www.matson.com.