LIHU‘E — Tina Albao, the Kaua‘i Director of Operations & Development for the Boys & Girls Club of Hawai‘i, said when Kelvin Moniz, the executive director of the Kaua‘i Independent Food Bank called, she was surprised and thrilled at the same time.
“People still need food,” Albao said. “With prices being so high and people not making as much money, I’m surprised they are still able to eat. When Kelvin offered food, how could I say ‘no.’ It’s all for the children.”
The Kaua‘i Independent Food Bank dropped off two pallets of food that included locally produced hamburger, a bag of white rice, a case of Gatorade, and an assortment of fresh vegetables being shared among 50 of the Lihu‘e Clubhouse members.
“This is something new we’re trying for the Kaua‘i Independent Food Bank,” Moniz said. “We had families that really needed help with food call in and picking up packages by appointment instead of having them come on the food bank’s twice-a-month emergency food distribution.”
According to Moniz, there were 70 families that called in and received food during spring break. Each family received at least 1 pound of hamburger, rice, and a selection of fresh produce the food bank purchased from local farmers that included sweet potatoes, mangoes, green onions, carrots, and other locally-grown fruits and vegetables.
“We didn’t include any canned goods, this time,” Moniz said. “It was a lot easier on us, too. We could buy everything ahead of time and arrange so everything went out, fresh. We purchased enough hamburger that Wailua Meat Company even had a label with our name on it.”
In addition to the Boys & Girls Club, Lihu‘e Clubhouse, the call-in families who picked up by appointment, the Kaua‘i Independent Food Bank also distributed food for 100 individuals to the Ho‘omana Thrift Store in Wailua.
“This is something we accomplished during the Spring Break,” Moniz said. “When we delivered to Ho‘omana, the gentleman who accepted the load started crying when he learned there was hamburger in the shipment. You know they really need the food, and by doing it this way, we get the food to the people who really need the help.”
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Dennis Fujimoto, staff writer and photographer, can be reached at 808-245-0453 or dfujimoto@thegardenisland.com.
