Boys &Girls Club of Hawai‘i families got their Thanksgiving turkeys and accompanying fixings right after school let out Thursday afternoon.
“This is part of the big distribution we’re doing Nov. 12 at the Vidinha Stadium parking lot,” said Kelvin Moniz, executive director of the Kaua‘i Independent Food Bank.
“We didn’t want to have the Boys &Girls Club people get caught up in that distribution traffic. This was all part of the B&G Kaua‘i board President Jim Braman’s efforts. Jim wanted the families to be able and enjoy turkey for Thanksgiving.”
Nearly 200 turkeys were set aside and picked up Thursday afternoon for distribution at the Boys &Girls Club sites in West Kaua‘i, Lihu‘e, including the Pier 1 location, and the Kapa‘a Clubhouse. Parents picking up their children following the close of the school day paraded through the various locations for a drive-thru, no-contact distribution.
“We wanted to support our local farmers, too,” said Tina Albao, the Boys &Girls Kaua‘i programs director. “We have a box of produce from Kaua‘i farmers going out with the turkeys. At the last minute, Earthworks Pacific came through with stuffing. All we could do was say ‘Thank you.’”
Additional items going out included rice, assorted canned goods including green beans, saimin, and more, leading one B&G Club member to volunteer, “I’m having saimin for Thanksgiving.”
“This is a family-sized meal,” Moniz said. “There is a run on smaller turkeys because of the government’s emphasis on no large gatherings, and the need to the family to enjoy Thanksgiving by themselves. We were lucky enough to get these turkeys when they first became available.”
“Through the generosity of individual donors, faith-based communities, local businesses, the Stupski Foundation and the state of Hawai‘i Office of Community Services through the Hawai‘i Community Foundation, the Kaua‘i Independent Food Bank is able to provide the turkeys and its accompanying food for families that have been economically impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic,” Moniz said.
“Families can get into this distribution by registering through the KIFB Facebook or Instagram social-media pages before 4 p.m., Nov. 9. Registration will only take place online, and only families that are registered will be serviced at the Thursday distribution.”
Households must register at forms.gle/T4SqeW1NnzR2wrCV6 available on both the KIFB Facebook and Instagram pages.
Once registered, a confirmation email will be sent to the email address provided during registration. This confirmation and an ID is required during the food pickup.
