PO‘IPU — Michelle Panoke of the Hawai‘i Food Bank, Kaua‘i Branch, simply took the keys and drove away the van, Thursday from the Sheraton Kaua‘i in Po‘ipu. Loaded in the van was about a 1,000 pounds of food, said Leanne
PO‘IPU — Michelle Panoke of the Hawai‘i Food Bank, Kaua‘i Branch, simply took the keys and drove away the van, Thursday from the Sheraton Kaua‘i in Po‘ipu.
Loaded in the van was about a 1,000 pounds of food, said Leanne Kamekona, executive chef for the Sheraton. The food was collected during a food drive hosted by the Sheraton Kaua‘i and bolstered with contributions from a recent associates’ party, where a lot of the people who won donated their winnings to the food drive, Kamekona said.
But the giving didn’t stop there as the Po‘ipu resort did not stop with just the food. They loaded everything into the van, not for ease of transporting, but because they turned over the van, its deed and keys to the Hawai‘i Food Bank, Kaua‘i, as well.
“This is exciting,” Kamekona said, “and we still have more.”
Chip Bahouth, the Sheraton Kaua‘i general manager, said the resort will designate a table in the restaurant each day and proceeds from that table will be donated to the Hawai‘i Food Bank.
“This is not just one day,” Kamekona said. “It’s for every day for a whole year. It’ll be called the ‘Food Bank table,’ and when customers are seated at the designated table (a different table each day), their wait help will let them know that whatever their total comes to will be donated to the Food Bank.”
Bahouth said if a party orders $100 on the food bank table, $100 will be donated to Hawai‘i Food Bank.
Kamekona was thrilled to announce this is the first time a campaign like this has been done in a Hawai‘i restaurant.
“Hopefully, people will feel good about sitting at the ‘Food Bank’ table and order more,” Kamekona said. “Visitors want to give to help local charities and this way, they can do it while enjoying their meal.”
