This year has been devastating for the people of our islands. Not only have we borne the sufferings of physical illness and death due to COVID-19, but added mental health anguish and financial crisis.

Each month, thousands of families line up in church parking lots in Wahiawa, receive much-needed boxes of food, and community support and love. The look of hunger, fear and uncertainty is very apparent. Volunteers who sort and then load the heavy food boxes tirelessly into back seats or empty trunks are compelled by compassion. There is an overwhelming gratitude for the support of the families in crisis that comes from the community, government, private sector, and the heavens!

We’re now halfway through the 2021 legislative session, and our state’s lawmakers face the dilemma of debating how to help families like those that we see lined up in church parking lots across our state, while at the same time facing large budget deficits.

Our legislators are being forced to consider cuts to social services that are crucial to so many of our brothers and sisters, keiki and kupuna. The governor has already proposed cuts to programs, such as the state needle exchange program and other AIDS treatment services, the Office of Language Access, the Sex Abuse Treatment Center, and the Youth Challenge Academy in Hilo.

As pastors and faith leaders, we believe that each person has inherent value. We are all connected to each other. In the Christian tradition, we teach that we are to love God and love our neighbors as ourselves. The stories of the Bible teach us that Jesus has a particular care for those who are poor and marginalized. He did not just teach, but would stop mid-lesson to feed those who were hungry and heal those who were hurting. We cannot stand by and let the most vulnerable in our community suffer.

In considering our state’s financial options, we urge, urge and urge our leaders at the state Capitol to at least consider options to raise revenue from those who are best able to contribute. At this critical time, we must do all we can to ensure our social services providers can keep their doors open and serve those with the greatest need.

Instead, Hawaii’s current tax system harms those that have the least. Our state and local system places the second-highest tax burden in the nation on our poorest families. While those in the bottom 20% pay 15% of their income in state and local taxes, those in the top 1% pay only about 9%.

If our lawmakers were to make our tax system more fair and ask those at the top to pay more, they could raise hundreds of millions of dollars to protect essential services. They could tax unearned income — profits from investments like stocks or antiques — at the same rates as regular wages and salaries. They could raise tax rates on the wealthy and on the sales of high-end real estate. They could tax more of the wealthy’s inheritances.

In other words, our states’ lawmakers could ask those who are fortunate enough to be doing well in this economy to pay more. We pray that they will consider this seriously, for the sake of the common good.

The Rev. Jessica M. Kawamura is with Wahiawa United Methodist Church; the Rev. Kaleo Patterson is with St. Stephen’s Episcopal Church in Wahiawa.