KAUMAKANI — Judge Randal Valenciano said the food distribution was over Saturday even before it started at the Aloha Sweet Delites parking lot.
More than 250 packages of food were secured by people in the drive through format from the Kaua‘i Independent Food Bank who partnered with people having connection to Kaumakani like the Valenciano ‘ohana.
“People came early,” said Kelvin Moniz, director for KIFB. “We came early to pack, and the people were already lining up. We didn’t want the traffic to block the village traffic so we just started passing out the food early — from as early as 7:30 a.m. We want to do this, again so we don’t want the Gay and Robinson Security to get upset.”
During the previous distribution spearheaded by the Valenciano family, there were people who did not have cars, or couldn’t drive to the event. Moniz said these people had the food delivered to them so they wouldn’t have to worry about getting to the Aloha Sweet Delites parking lot.
Rebecca Carnate, normally volunteering with the Zonta Club of Kaua‘i, and the East Kaua‘i Lions Club, came on her own with her Zonta Spirit Award in tow.
“I’m just down the road,” Carnate said. “I had to come and help. I worked during the last distribution so I couldn’t make it. I’m not working, today so I’m helping. This is not for the Zonta or the Lions, it’s me.”
Pua Kaohelauli‘i, one of the Department of Health outreach workers, shared the same sentiment as she collected data from drivers waiting in line.
“This is my town,” she said. “I have to help take care of people.”
Chris Acoba and the “Kaumakani Boys” did traffic control, keeping the side road entrances clear and directing the drive-thru traffic.
“Kaumakani — that’s where I’m from,” Acoba said. “Me and all the Kaumakani boys. When we saw some of the faces waiting, wow, it brought back a lot of memories. We gotta help at events like these.”
