PO‘IPU — Grand Hyatt Kaua‘i Resort &Spa colleagues were invited to “Breakfast Anytime” Thursday afternoon at the Po‘ipu resort.
“We’ll be offering eggs, bacon, rice and all the fixings needed to make breakfast anytime for you and your ‘ohana,” said Martie Grabias of the property, whose job responsibility switched from traffic control to greeter at the food distribution to accommodate up to 700 colleagues as the resort remains closed due to the COVID-19 14-day quarantine for transpacific travelers.
During a press conference Thursday afternoon attended by Honolulu mayor Kirk Caldwell, Honolulu Police Chief Susan Ballard, Honolulu Acting Prosecuting Attorney Dwight Nadamoto, Gov. David Ige said they would be reinstating the interisland quarantine on Tuesday to help spread the novel coronavirus.
The resort’s closure — although several of the associates have returned to their positions — combined with the expiration of the unemployment stimulus relief provided by the federal CARES act to create additional hardships on families, demonstrated by the steady line of cars that snaked around the resort’s parking lot. This is in contrast to previous food distributions, where there were breaks in the line.
“They really want to come back to work,” said Diann Hartman, the hotel’s director of marketing communication. “They’re stopping and talking, laughing. They’re waiting to come back.”
The food package offered to the hotel colleagues centered around the breakfast fixings that included juice, rice, coffee, bacon, bagels, fresh fruit, danish and eggs.
This was bolstered by the Kaua‘i Independent Food Bank, which in addition to providing food including soups, spaghetti, milk and ground beef, lent their staff to support the hotel’s staff and volunteers.
“This is so sweet,” Hartman said. “They wanted to give back to our employees during this time as a ‘thank you’ for the contributions the employees provide for their food drives. They also did not forget the contributions from when the resort closed because of the pandemic.”
Topping off the food giveaway, hotel Executive Chef Greg Grohowski said chef Judy Capertina of Haole Girl Island Sweets, through a connection with KIFB Executive Director Kelvin Moniz, provided dessert.
