LIHU‘E — Kelvin Moniz, the Kaua‘i Independent Food Bank Food Resources director, estimated the Kalaheo Elementary School food drive yielded between 400 to 500 pounds of food Friday morning. Mahealani Contrades-Brun, the school’s Parent Community Network Center facilitator, said Friday’s
LIHU‘E — Kelvin Moniz, the Kaua‘i Independent Food Bank Food Resources director, estimated the Kalaheo Elementary School food drive yielded between 400 to 500 pounds of food Friday morning.
Mahealani Contrades-Brun, the school’s Parent Community Network Center facilitator, said Friday’s collection is one of two food drives coordinated by the students at Kalaheo School, the results being contributed to the KIFB to help its ongoing Holiday Food and Fund Drive.
“We give the classes an initiative of having a pizza party from Brick Oven Pizza for the class (that) collects the highest number,” Contrades-Brun said. “This drive, the fourth grade class of Mrs. Corr-Yorkman are the winners and will have their pizza party next week.”
Moniz said there has been a lot of community help with the Holiday Food and Fund Drive, which has a Dec. 31 deadline and a goal of 40,000 pounds of food and $40,000.
Recently, the KIFB got a big boost from the Marriott International properties including the Kaua‘i Marriott Resort and Beach Club, the Marriott’s Waiohai Beach Club and the Kaua‘i Lagoons, which delivered a combined 10,007 pounds of food on behalf of the Kaua‘i Marriott ‘ohana.
“This is quite a bit of food,” Moniz said on accepting the delivery, Nov. 21, a day ahead of The Salvation Army’s annual Thanksgiving Community Luncheon. “There is a lot of rice which is one of the most requested food items and is hard to get right now. This should carry us through the holidays and part of January.”
Chuck Brady, the Kaua‘i Marriott ‘ohana representative, said the drive was made easier because when working with KIFB, they were told what items were the most needed.
The contribution by the Marriott group was not limited to the KIFB food drive because Chef Guy Higa and the culinary crew at the Kaua‘i Marriott also cooked up the 40 turkeys needed to prepare the more than 1,000 meals at the Salvation Army’s luncheon.
Ahead of the Salvation Army Thanksgiving, Higa and the culinary crew also prepared the Thanksgiving meals for the ‘Ohana Christian Fellowship Thanksgiving for the needy and homeless at the Kapa‘a Beach Park.
Adding to the effort of the Kaua‘i Marriott ‘ohana contribution, Moniz said there were food drives hosted by Matson Navigation in Nawiliwili, and the HMSA Kaua‘i Branch.
Robyn Kuraoka, the public information coordinator for HMSA, said the HMSA employees on Kaua‘i contributed $500 to the Kaua‘i Independent Food Bank, the monetary contribution getting some nonperishable food contributions, including the coveted rice, as well.
Kuraoka said the HMSA Kaua‘i employees also contributed $500 to the Hawai‘i Foodbank, Kaua‘i Branch.
Statewide, the HMSA employees wrapped up a four-week holiday food drive with a total $21,515 collected and 7,085 pounds of nonperishable food, which will provide more than 56,400 meals, Kuraoka says in a release.
“One of the very best traits of HMSA is the generosity of our employees,” says Michael Gold, HMSA president and COO, in an HMSA release. “This annual food drive is a tradition we really look forward to. We organize teams and hold friendly competitions between departments, but in the end, it’s an event which really brings everyone together and is a great reminder of what the holidays are all about.”
The Westin Princeville Ocean Resort Villas also hosted an associate-driven food drive for the KIFB to ring in the season of giving, said June Cappiello, public relations manager for the Starwood Hotels.
“Giving back is a crucial component in being a member of this community,” says Denise Wardlow, the Westin Princeville general manager, in a Starwood release. “We are all part of a larger ‘ohana and it is important that we support each other.”
Just hours before the start of the Salvation Army Thanksgiving luncheon, the Westin Princeville truck rolled into the KIFB facility in Nawiliwili with 1,244 pounds of food to help feed the hungry and needy people, especially during the holiday season.
“We have the best associates on the island,” a representative said while watching Rizalde Tolentino, the KIFB warehouse supervisor, unload the large container of food. “They are so generous when they think of the community and others who are not as fortunate as we are.”
The Westin Princeville food drive was organized by the Westin Princeville’s Associate Council, an organization comprised of associates from various departments within the resort to encourage staff engagement in the hotel and the community.
Themed food drive days, such as “Carb Friday” and “Tuna Tuesday,” encouraged associates to bring in some of the KIFB’s most requested items during the 20-day food drive.
Cappiello said although the food drive was the first collective effort by the Westin Princeville staff, the resort also contributes a weekly donation of about 100 pounds of unopened, nonperishable food items left over from villa owners throughout the year to the KIFB.
The Westin Princeville food drive is just one of the charitable efforts initiated since its opening in 2008. Other events include the annual Jazz & Wine Festival, which benefits the Kaua‘i Lifeguard Association, the American Cancer Society Relay for Life, and the Hawai‘i Lodging and Tourism Association’s Visitor Industry Charity Walk, which Wardlow served as the chair for the 2012 event in May.
Moniz said with all of these corporate contributions joining the individual efforts, the KIFB Holiday Food and Fund Drive, as of Dec. 2, is at more than 24,000 pounds of food towards its 40,000-pound goal. Contributors have also added more than $13,000 to the $40,000 goal.
Contributions can be dropped off at any of the fire stations located around the island or at the KIFB Nawiliwili facility between 8 a.m. and 4 p.m., Mondays through Fridays.
Visit www.kauaifoodbank.org or call 246-3809 for more information.
