Contributions can be big or little. Every bit helps toward achieving the Kaua‘i Food Bank’s goal in its Spring Food and Fund Drive. Haylie DeSilva couldn’t resist the smile from volunteer Shellie Domingcil, a volunteer from the New Hope Church,
Contributions can be big or little.
Every bit helps toward achieving the Kaua‘i Food Bank’s goal in its Spring Food and Fund Drive.
Haylie DeSilva couldn’t resist the smile from volunteer Shellie Domingcil, a volunteer from the New Hope Church, Saturday.
“She’s made several trips,” Domingcil said with her magnetic smile. “And she’s had something every time.”
Collection was brisk at all five collection sites established for the Spring Food Drive Day, and Kaua‘i Food Bank’s Development officer Penny Young said when the sun set on the day-long effort, almost $11,000 was raised. This amount came close to the food bank’s projected goal for the day.
“This one-day event brings us up to about $24,000 in funds raised and about 2,000 pounds of food,” Young said.
The overall goal of the Spring Food and Fund Drive campaign is $40,000 and 40,000 pounds of food.
That effort was bolstered yesterday afternoon when two trucks from Kukui‘ula Development Co./Kitchell Contractors rolled into the Nawiliwili facility with an additional $840 in funds and more than 590 pounds of food the company, one of the Spring Drive sponsors, collected through an in-house collection.
Young said people can still make a difference by contributing because the spring drive continues through April 30.
Non-perishable foods or monetary contributions can be made to the Kaua‘i Food Bank in Nawiliwili, or to any of the fire stations located around the island.
Additionally, Young said people can call her at 246-3809 to arrange pickup of food items collected.
Judy Lenthall, director for the Kaua‘i Food Bank, noted Safeway, enjoying its first involvement with the Food Day Drive, was one of the top producers, accounting for almost half of the amount raised.
She said two volunteers from Century 21 spent the entire day in collection efforts, and following their efforts, at the end, wrote out a check representing matching funds from Century 21.
She added that at the Ishihara Market site, John Sydney Yamane, one of the food bank board members, made a slideshow depicting how mothers would wheel their infants up to the nets and once the youngsters deposited their contribution, a big smile would blossom on their young faces.
“There’s a lesson to be learned here,” Lenthall said. “Those smiles all said, ‘Look at me, I did good.’”
