Holiday hunger not a pleasant experiencel

On a recent trip to the Kaua‘i Food Bank, Chiefess Kamakahelei Middle School students Hemily Clement, Penitha Langbata and Christy Ann Clement got a surprise.

The girls, taking advantage of the inter-session break, were trying out fish nets with Captain Mitham Clement of the Kaua‘i Salvation Army for Saturday’s Food Drop Day.

A neighboring employee from Hesse Flooring was also on hand, trying to combat the stifling Friday heat with a visit to the soda machine. When he saw the girls, he dropped a five-spot.

“Let me be the first to contribute to the effort,” he said, cold drink in hand and big smile on his face.

That set off a chain reaction as another visitor dropped several more dollars into the nets.

“We haven’t even started yet,” the girls said.

“This is a great way to start this year’s Holiday Food Drive,” said Jeanette Nadeau as she collected the funds.

The Holiday Food Drive kicks off today and includes a brown bag and contribution envelope in The Garden Island as a reminder. The drive continues until Dec. 15.

But the food collection efforts began before today. On Sunday at the ‘Ohana Day festivities at the Kaua‘i Veterans Center, Lt. Gov. Duke Aiona presented his contribution to 8-month-old Kalima Kuhaulua Leong. The event was sponsored by the Lingle/Aiona campaign, and admission was one item of canned food.

Members of the Kaua‘i High Leo Club, the East Kaua‘i Lions Club and the Rotary Club of Kaua‘i spent about three hours preparing the brown bags and envelopes for today’s TGI.

In addition to the food bank warehouse, all Kaua‘i fire stations are drop-off points for donated food.

“The Holiday Food Drive is how we get to restock our shelves,” said Judy Lenthall, the food bank’s executive director. “It always happens that we have a greater demand for food during the holidays and the Holiday Food Drive enables us to respond to this increased need.”

Last year, the food bank served more than 600 families with turkeys and responded to more than 12,000 requests for emergency food during the holiday season.

Lenthall said for every dollar contributed, the food bank can distribute about $7 worth of groceries. Hawai‘i Business magazine recently reported that food banks are the most cost-effective charity in the state.

Kaua‘i’s food bank faced a tougher time than usual this spring. Following the 2005 holiday crunch, the supply was again severely strained by the heavy spring rains and Ka Loko dam disaster.

Typically, the food bank inventories about 85,000 pounds of food, but heading into summer the Nawiliwili facility’s inventory was down 29 percent, to about 60,000 pounds.

Lenthall said the top 10 food items requested include rice, tuna, pasta, Ensure/Pediasure, canned vegetables, fruits, peanut butter and soups.

On Saturday, fish-netters will be at Ching Young Village, Waipouli Town Center, Wal-Mart, Kukui Grove Shopping Center and Ishihara Market to accept cash and food donations from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Members of the Football Club of Kaua‘i High, New Hope Church of Kapa‘a, the Rotary Club of Kaua‘i and the Salvation Army will all man the fish nets.

The Kaua‘i Food Bank works through a network of about 70 agencies and churches to help serve those who are having difficulty providing the proper nutrition for their families.

According to a Hunger Study by the University of Hawai‘i, one in five adults and one in four children live in a food-insecure household.

Last year, the Kaua‘i Food Bank distributed more than 622,000 pounds of food to soup kitchens, pantries, residential care facilities and the Kids Cafe at the Boys & Girls Club, as well as the ill, unemployed, victims of domestic violence, elderly and more.

The Kaua‘i Food Bank was also named a winner for the Hawai‘i Pacific Business News Nonprofit Business Leadership Award.

For information on how to host a holiday food drive event, contact Jeanette at 246-3809.