For years, Allison Jacobson has made the drive from Anahola to the Hawaii Food Bank Kauai Branch in Puhi to donate healthy food.
She times the trips with rotations of food in her home emergency supply kit, replacing things like quinoa or other nonperishable organic, vegan foods with a fresh stockpile and donating the leftovers.
“It’s not stuff that’s going bad, it’s just closer to the expiration date,” Jacobs said during a recent trip to the food bank, in which she was delivering a bigger donation than usual.
That donation came in the form of a check instead of a box of foodstuffs — a check for $730, which amounts to 1,825 individual meals according to Wes Perriera, director of HFB Kauai Branch.
That money is 10% of Oct. – Dec. 2019 sales of Light Up, an energy supplement Jacobson created and is retailing around the island.
Launched in the summer of 2018, Jacobson says Light Up is an herbal supermix that offers energy without jitters, helps the body combat and manage stress and boosts the immune system. It’s made from organic, whole food, plant-based ingredients like tea, fruit, herbs and superfoods; is gluten free, soy free, nut free and has no added sugar.
The powder is added to water and tastes sweet and tropical.
As an athlete and a person with a high-energy lifestyle, Jacobson said the idea was initially sparked as a way to make her own life easier.
“I created Light Up in my kitchen here in Anahola,” Jacobson said. “I used to take a lot of individual supplements for my health. I wanted one thing that I could take and it would cover all the bases, so I made Light Up.”
Jacobson sells Light Up under the umbrella of her company Inspire Organics — a company that has a mission to make a positive impact on the local Kaua‘i community.
“Every month I select an organization that is making the world a better place and donate 10% of sales of Light Up to that organization,” Jacobson said. “I chose to raise money for the food bank (HFB Kauai Branch) during the holidays.”
Jacobson has also donated to other organizations on the island through the Inspire Organics program, including Malama Kauai. This month, 10% of sales are going toward Kaua‘i Pride.
Perriera said the donation will be helpful as the food bank prepares for summer.
“We appreciate what she’s doing so much,” Perriera said. “If we even had one or two like-minded people doing the same thing, it would be amazing.”
Promoted as a supplement and energy booster that amps up adrenals, combating stress and increasing energy with all-organic, vegan ingredients like apples, goji berry, beet root juice, cranberry, maca, lucuma, astragalus, reishi mushroom, nettle and more.
The energy and health supplement is retailed at stores on Kauai, and can be purchased online.
