When Nina Shanklin held a $16-an-hour job accounting for the county, she still found herself struggling to provide for her family.

“It was demoralizing,” she said. “Here I was having millions of dollars pass through my hands every day, and I can’t even go home and feed my kids.”

Shanklin, who now works for Doordash, was one of several supporters sign-waiving in favor of an $18 minimum wage Friday afternoon, the group convening outside of the Lihu‘e Burger King along Kaumuali‘i Highway in a demonstration organized by Raise Up Hawai‘i.

“A lot of the houseless community are full-time workers,” said Chris Molina, a social-work master’s degree student who also participated. “If there are people who are working hard and they’re not able to take care of their children and live a decent life, there’s something wrong with that picture.”

Drivers were responsive to the demonstrators’ message, honking and waving as they passed.

This demonstration comes after the state House pivoted away from the original minimum-wage proposal, Senate Bill 2018, that would have incrementally increased the minimum wage to $18 an hour by 2026.