HONOLULU — About 3,300 families in Hawaii each received nearly 100 pounds (45 kilograms) of food during a charity event at Aloha Stadium in Honolulu.
The Great Aloha Run event on Friday raised about $385,000 in total, with $185,000 raised privately and about $200,000 coming from federal coronavirus relief funds.
The event occurred as Hawaii health facilities started to rollout vaccines in order to stem a coronavirus pandemic that has sparked widespread economic hardship and killed 281 people in the state as of Saturday.
“It was very heartwarming to see that the families were really, really happy,” said Carole Kai, the founder of the charity event,
Enough food was available for 3,500 families, Kai said. The leftover food was scheduled to be given out on Saturday in Waianae. The food packages distributed included whole turkeys, hamburgers, spare ribs, eggs, vegetables and a variety of other items.
There have been 19,859 new confirmed cases of the virus in the state as of Saturday.
The number of infections is thought to be far higher because many people have not been tested, and studies suggest people can be infected with the virus without feeling sick.
Aloha Stadium announced Thursday it would stop scheduling new events at the stadium because of complications spurred from the virus and budgetary issues.
Stadium officials will honor all pre-scheduled events and those that take place in its parking lot.
For most people, the new coronavirus causes mild or moderate symptoms, such as fever and cough that clear up in two to three weeks. For some — especially older adults and people with existing health problems — it can cause more severe illness, including pneumonia, and death.
