LIHU‘E — Volunteers will take out fishnets Saturday at six different locations during the Kaua‘i Independent Food Bank Food Drive Day from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Kelvin Moniz, KIFB food resources manager, said volunteers are still being welcomed to help
LIHU‘E — Volunteers will take out fishnets Saturday at six different locations during the Kaua‘i Independent Food Bank Food Drive Day from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Kelvin Moniz, KIFB food resources manager, said volunteers are still being welcomed to help collect contributions for the KIFB Spring Healthy Food and Fund Drive.
“Our goal for this one-day food drive ‘blitz’ is to collect 5,000 pounds of food and raise $10,000,” Moniz said. “The purpose of our food drive is to raise awareness about Hunger on Kaua‘i as well as the different programs hosted by KIFB.”
People are encouraged to help the 2013 KIFB spring food drive by giving at Big Kmart store, Kukui Grove Center, Foodland in Princeville, Safeway in Kaua‘i Shopping Village, Sueoka in Koloa, and at Ishihara Market in Waimea.
Moniz said formerly KIFB’s concern was to help feed people, including families, during the tight economic times.
“Today, our concern is to keeping the many programs going,” Moniz said. “We still have people who come up short, financially, and we take care of them through the emergency food bags and boxes.”
Moniz said funds raised during the drives help keep many of the programs provide nutritious food.
Other programs include the Keiki Cafe, a backpack program and Kupa‘a Kokua Kupuna program.
The Keiki Cafe is in partnership with the Boys & Girls Club of Hawai‘i. It serves more than 2,200 snacks each month to keiki who participate in the B&G Club, Waimea Clubhouse and includes students from the Waimea Canyon Middle School, Kekaha Neighborhood Center and St. Theresa School.
The Keiki Cafe in Lihu‘e serves more than 500 “super snacks” each week and through the partnership with the B&G Lihu‘e, takes care of children attending the Elsie Wilcox Elementary School for 43 weeks from August through May.
The backpack program takes care of keiki in the Eastside who attend the after school activities at Kapa‘a Elementary School. Moniz said each backpack, distributed on Friday, contains sufficient nutritious and healthy food items for a child and his or her siblings for the weekend.
More recently, KIFB launched its Kupa‘a Kokua Kupuna program, which offers senior citizens 60 years and older an opportunity to get fresh produce, bread and dairy products and a limited amount of canned goods each Wednesday through Friday from 1 to 3 p.m.
Moniz said kupuna wishing to participate in this program need to be a part of an agency program such as Alu Like or the county’s senior center.
The demands of the programs, coupled with the emergency food program handled through a network of organizations islandwide, sets the 2013 goal at $40,000 and 40,000 pounds of food.
Contributions to the food drive can be dropped off at any of the fire stations on the island or at the KIFB facility located at 3285 Wa‘apa Road in Nawiliwili.
Volunteers wishing to assist in collecting during the Saturday food drive at any of the six locations can contact the KIFB by visiting www.kauaifoodbank.org or calling 246-3809.
