LIHU‘E — Lori Almarza, the acting executive director for the Kaua‘i United Way, announced that $109,000 have been distributed to different Kaua‘i social service agencies to help address vital needs during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Funding for these monies were secured through various funding sources and designated for the pandemic relief.
“We are so grateful to be able to award these funds to our Kaua‘i agencies to help those most affected by COVID-19 on Kaua‘i,” Almarza said.
A total of $80,500 funded by the Emergency Food and Shelter Program was shared between the Hawai‘i Foodbank, Kaua‘i Branch, Kaua‘i Economic Opportunity, The Salvation Army – Lihu‘e and Hanapepe Corps., Women in Need, and the YWCA of Kaua‘i for securing food for their food pantries as well as offering served meals and supplies for those in need on the island.
The Kaua‘i United Way granted $20,000 from the United Way Worldwide to Catholic Charities Hawai‘i – Kaua‘i, the Friendship Club, and PATCH (People Attentive to Children) Kaua‘i to be used for transportation assistance, food purchase, and childcare assistance.
Alexander and Baldwin Hawai‘i along with Grace Pacific contributed $8,500 to the KUW COVID-19 Emergency Fund to assist those directly affected by the pandemic. These funds were designated for emergency food and meals and shared between the Hawai‘i Foodbank, Kaua‘i Branch, and both branches of The Salvation Army.
Almarza said Kaua‘i United Way has approximately $14,000 available to assist with rental and utility assistance for Kaua‘i residents.
People seeking assistance with rent and/or utilities who have filed for unemployment should call 211 to start the intake process. Local agencies on Kaua‘i will be furthering the intake process prior to monies being released.
Kaua‘i United Way is a nonprofit, volunteer-driven organization dedicated to serving the social needs of Kaua‘i since 1943.
“We monitor our agencies throughout the year, and re-evaluate social needs annually,” Almarza said. “This is your assurance that your hard-earned contributions will be used efficiently and directed to where it will do the most good for our entire community.”
