NAWILIWILI — No one should have to go hungry, said Laurel Lemons of the Christ Memorial Episcopal Church in Kilauea. Lemons and Rev. Shirley Ellingboe visited the Kaua‘i Food Bank facility in Nawiliwili bearing a check for $2,500 Tuesday afternoon.
NAWILIWILI — No one should have to go hungry, said Laurel Lemons of the Christ Memorial Episcopal Church in Kilauea.
Lemons and Rev. Shirley Ellingboe visited the Kaua‘i Food Bank facility in Nawiliwili bearing a check for $2,500 Tuesday afternoon.
John Sydney Yamane, one of two charter board members for the Kaua‘i Food Bank, said this Saturday, the KFB will be hosting a board-sponsored fundraiser at the Wal-Mart store in Lihu‘e. The funds from the Kilauea church represent matching funds up to $2,500 for whatever the board members are able to generate in the day-long collection that runs from 9 a.m. through 6 p.m.
“This is just something the church can do to try and help in these hard economic times,” Lemons said. “But we don’t want it to be just us. We want to challenge other groups, churches, and businesses to step forward and see what they can do to help.”
Judy Lenthall, director of the Kaua‘i Food Bank, said since the economic downturn, demand for food has seen a 53 percent increase from the same time last year.
“The Kaua‘i Food Bank is delivering 51 percent more food than it did last year,” Lenthall said. “But the food being delivered is not being contributed. It’s being bought.”
Kelvin Moniz, the Kaua‘i Food Bank development officer, said with the next big push coming in October for the annual Food Day collection, contributions are very welcome, noting that people need to feed their families first, but if there’s something extra, there are other people that can use the help.
Lenthall said that following the board-sponsored event, Saturday, the Kaua‘i Food Bank will be working for a dining out event.
