There are wait lists for Thanksgiving food packages at the Lihu‘e and Hanapepe Salvation Army offices.

With the help of the Rotary Clubs of Kaua‘i and West Kaua‘i, the Salvation Army began its annual Thanksgiving food distribution for clients on Thursday and Friday.

Clients outnumbered the available turkeys, the mainstay of the Thanksgiving food packages.

“We have a wait list of more than 150 people, but there are only 100 turkeys,” said Victor Lucas, the registrar at the Salvation Army, Lihu‘e Corps, Friday. “Whatever no come, I start calling the wait list starting with No. 101, Monday.”

A similar picture was painted at the Salvation Army, Hanapepe Corps which started its food distribution Thursday.

“We’ll be buying at least 30 more turkeys from Big Save, Friday,” said Lt. Sarah Smuda, the head of the Hanapepe Corps. “We had 50 turkeys for the Salvation Army, 50 for the Kalaheo Missionary Church Pantry, and 35 for Nana’s House in Waimea, and we still have some we need to get.”

Kelvin Moniz, operations director for the Kaua‘i Food Bank, said the Salvation Army will be getting help from The Gas Company who committed to 17 turkeys, and Dimples Kano, a Salvation Army Board member, is donating three turkeys.

Additionally, Moniz said Big Save is providing $300 gift cards to both the Lihu‘e and Hanapepe Corps which will be used to acquire more turkeys.

“With the help of the donors and the community, hopefully, we can get over this shortage,” Moniz said.

Lucas said overall demand for food, especially during the holidays, is up by approximately 25 percent.

“We try to give what we can, but sometimes, it’s hard,” Lucas said.

Envoy Larry Groenleer, who is enjoying his first holidays as the head of the Lihu‘e Corps, said the demand for food at the Kokua Soup Kitchen is up by 25 to 30 percent.

“Last Thursday, we had the largest turnout ever for the Kokua Soup Kitchen with 160 people,” Groenleer said. “The tables provided by Kaua‘i Mayor Bernard Carvalho Jr. earlier this year are a real blessing because they’re all filled with diners now.”

Smuda, also enjoying her first holiday at the Hanapepe Corps as commanding officer, said attendance at its Kokua Soup Kitchen has also increased.

Comparing figures from 2008, the Hanapepe kitchen served 4,595 meals through the year. For 2009, not including November or December projections, the Hanapepe kitchen has served 7,214 meals through Oct. 31, Smuda said.

“This is a really hard year,” Moniz said. “In addition to the Salvation Army, the food bank has used other turkey resources to supply programs at food pantries around the island.”

Moniz said there are pantry programs at St. Michael’s church, St. Raphael’s church, the Waimea United Church of Christ, the Koloa Union church, Church of the Pacific, and Hale Ho‘omalu in Kapa‘a.

“It’s so bad that a lot of agencies are buying their own food to try and supplement the food bank supplies to meet the demand from their clients,” Moniz said.

The Kaua‘i Food Bank helped with the packages by providing mashed potatoes, corn, fruit and walnuts, Moniz said.

Kalaheo Missionary Church, working with the Hanapepe Salvation Army, said its leader, Winona Mitchell, has an increase in the number of clients visiting the pantry.

“When we started a couple of years ago, we had about 25 people,” a Kalaheo Missionary Church volunteer said. “Last week, we were up to 91 people needing food, and the number goes up each week.”

Moniz, who last week reported that food collections were down for the Kaua‘i Food Bank’s Holiday Food and Fund Drive, said he hopes the pace of contributions picks up.

“Right now, we have no funds for hams, the usual Christmas centerpiece,” Moniz said. “We’re pretty much done for this year. We have nothing to give for Christmas.”

On the brighter side, Moniz said Syngenta Seeds arranged for a delivery of 1,500 pounds of rice, Thursday. There are ongoing food drives with Wilcox Memorial Hospital having a pick-up on Monday and the Kaua‘i Marriott Resort and Beach Club having a delivery made Wednesday.

The Salvation Army, in conjunction with generous community organizations and businesses, will be hosting its annual Thanksgiving luncheon Wednesday starting at 10 a.m. at both the Kaua‘i War Memorial Convention Hall and the Salvation Army, Hanapepe Corps.

The Kaua‘i Food Bank Holiday Food and Fund Drive continues through Dec. 15. People wanting to contribute can drop off non-perishable canned food or monetary contributions to any of the fire stations on the island, or by visiting the Kaua‘i Food Bank warehouse facility in Nawiliwili.