LIHU‘E — Despite the slow economy, Saturday’s food collection was the best spring food drive day ever, said Judy Lenthall, executive director of the Kaua‘i Food Bank. With collection sites at 10 different locations throughout the island, volunteers, Kaua‘i Food
LIHU‘E — Despite the slow economy, Saturday’s food collection was the best spring food drive day ever, said Judy Lenthall, executive director of the Kaua‘i Food Bank.
With collection sites at 10 different locations throughout the island, volunteers, Kaua‘i Food Bank staff and board members amassed about $14,000 and about 4,000 pounds of food in the single-day collection.
Lenthall said more than 200 volunteers turned out to help at the different sites that were available for drop-offs from 9 a.m. until at least 3 p.m. Several of the sites extended collection hours until 6 p.m.
Ishihara Market in Waimea set an all-time record, collecting just a dollar short of $1,500 and 420 pounds of food, Lenthall said.
Manned by volunteers from the West Kaua‘i Canoe Club and Kaua‘i Food Bank Board President John Sydney Yamane, Lenthall said that single site in Waimea surpassed totals collected from other, larger sites.
“This is incredible,” Lenthall said. “There were reports of people saying, ‘I just no can,’ instead of ‘I don’t want to.’ That really hits home when the economic situation is so bad, people who want to give just don’t have enough.”
Lenthall, who normally roams through the different sites, said there were more stories of “I got help from you before, and now that I’m back on my feet, I want to help. It’s small, but it’s something” than in any other food collection day she’s experienced.
“The demand for food is so high right now, and it’s so incredible that people still can give,” Lenthall said. “There was a mother of four who said she was kind of shame to approach the food bank, but because of her kids she went.”
Lenthall said that lady is back on her feet, and was one of the contributors who stopped to thank the food bank for being there.
Following the results of the Saturday collection, Lenthall said the Spring Healthy Food and Fund Drive is currently at about $28,000 of its $40,000 goal and at about 17,000 pounds of food toward its 40,000-pound goal.
“We still have a bit to go to reach the 40/40 goal and the drive ends April 30th,” Lenthall said in an e-mail.
The Kaua‘i Food Bank is so overwhelmed with the outpouring of support, it planned to spend a few days sign-waving in appreciation and gratitude at several sites including the Lihu‘e Airport intersection, the Kuhio Highway strip near Dynasty Court, and at the Waipouli Safeway (Kaua‘i Village shopping center) intersection, she said.
Donors can still contribute to the spring drive by dropping off non-perishable food items to any of the Kaua‘i fire stations, or at the Kaua‘i Food Bank Nawiliwili facility.
Sponsors of the Spring Healthy Food and Fund Drive include HMSA, First Hawaiian Bank, Big Save, Arroyo Plumbing, Aqua Engineering, Kaua‘i Lumber, Koga Engineering and Construction, PS&D, Ron’s Electric, The Gas Company, The Garden Island newspaper, Ho‘ike Community Television, Wala‘au, and the KONG Radio Group.
Visit www.kauaifoodbank.org for more information.
