LIHU‘E — There were a lot of fresh faces Saturday during the Hawai‘i Foodbank Kaua‘i food distribution to 300 families at the Lihu‘e Neighborhood Center.
“I’ve got my grandchildren visiting from O‘ahu,” said Diane Keeler, manager of the Walmart store. “They’re helping too.”
Keeler, one of the Hawaii Foodbank Kaua‘i board members, was joined by other board members including Patrick Ono of Matson Navigation, Timothy Takeshita of Enterprise Rent-A-Car and Laurie Yoshida of Corteva Agriscience, and suprised by the appearance of state Rep. Sylvia Luke, a candidate for lieutenant governor, who did not hesitate in rolling up her sleeves and lugging bags and cartons to waiting cars.
The Key Clubs and the Kiwanis Club, a team from the Walmart store, and the Kaua‘i Lions Club were joined by the Kaua‘i Retired and Senior Volunteer Program volunteers, including Gerald Ako, who had just Friday stood in to accept honors for Timmy Albao, who was named one of Kaua‘i’s Outstanding Older Americans.
Luke, chair of the House Finance Committee, said there were several pieces of legislation addressing food insecurity, and there was one that would ensure that food distributions could continue.
Tisha Remigio of the Hawai‘i Foodbank Kaua‘i said more than 12,000 pounds of food went out to cars waiting for drive-thru, pre-registered service at the Lihu‘e Neighborhood Center, where members of the county’s Departent of Parks &Recreation helped facilitate traffic in and around the center.
“The meat suppliers were real excited when I told them we were doing the distribution,” Remigio said. “They always get excited when food distributions happen.”
Among the items being distributed were blocks of frozen meat, milk, eggs, rice, bags of apples and nonperishable groceries.
Remigio said there are future distributions planned and residents need to stay tuned for more details.
w Info: hawaiifoodbank.org/kauai
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Dennis Fujimoto, staff writer and photographer, can be reached at 245-0453 or dfujimoto@thegardenisland.com.
