LIHU‘E — Tim Mira was pulled out of retirement Saturday as he provided nonstop entertainment throughout the Police, Pastors &Platters breakfast giveaway drive-thru at Puakea Golf Course.
“I don’t know,” Mira said. “This is supposed to be music that makes you hungry. I couldn’t stop because every time I looked, there were more cars.”
More than 500 plates of Portuguese sausage, scrambled and rice eggs were distributed to the line of cars that stretched beyond Costco when the Kaua‘i Police Department and New Hope Lihu‘e church opened up the distribution line for the second straight week.
“Last week we did about 350 plates,” said Don Gusman, one of the chefs working the stoves at the Puakea Grille. “This week, we changed up the menu from pancakes to eggs and sausage. We also changed the restriction from 18 and younger youth to include the family. Now, it’s called ‘Police, Pastors &Platters,’ and we’re planning for more than 500 plates.”
In addition to the main breakfast platter, volunteers from New Hope Lihu‘e, KPD, Hawai‘i National Guard, Kaua‘i Independent Food Bank and others supplemented the giveaway with cookies, stickers for the keiki, gallons of milk and boxes of cereal through the efforts of contributions from community sponsors such as KIFB.
“This was a nice touch, having the milk and cereal,” said Kerenfa Nagahisa, who drove through the line with Michele Womack. “This was our first time going through the PPP, and we didn’t know what to expect. We normally walk early in the morning, so added this on. This was pretty awesome. We’re coming back next week — early, because I understand we sold out.”
When the meal started last week, New Hope Lihu‘e Senior Pastor John Cabello said the intention was to supplement the free grab-and-go meals that are presented weekdays by the state Department of Education at six public schools from Kekaha to Kilauea. The intention is to provide at least one meal on the weekend through volunteer efforts.
“People have a hard time believing that we’re doing this,” said Waileia Kaneali‘i, who along with daughter Nahe Grant helped in the distribution line. “When I tell my friends on the mainland what we’re doing, they can’t believe it because they don’t do things like this on the mainland.”
Tiffany Dick, one of the sign-holding greeters, said the meal is very important.
“Things are getting pretty bad,” Dick said. “Some of the people I know haven’t gotten anything from unemployment yet.”
Cabello said despite Puakea Golf Course preparing to open for play under the relaxed COVID-19 rules as early as today, the Police, Pastors &Platters will continue at Puakea on Saturday starting at 9 a.m. and running to 10 a.m., or when supplies run out.
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Dennis Fujimoto, staff writer and photographer, can be reached at 245-0453 or dfujimoto@thegardenisland.com.
