PO‘IPU — “We’re not going anywhere,” said a volunteer from Alaska Airlines, Wednesday during the Grand Hyatt Kaua‘i’s food distribution for its employees, more notably, the ones who are still furloughed. “We don’t have anything to do so we might as well be useful.”
A volunteer from the Grand Hyatt responded while waiting on the next vehicle in line.
“We’re waiting on you,” the volunteer chirped. “We want those direct flights so we can open, again.”
The Grand Hyatt Kaua‘i Resort and Spa partnered with the Kaua‘i Independent Food Bank, and its corps of volunteers from the Lions Clubs, the Zonta Club of Kaua‘i, and for this drive, Alaska Airlines to distribute food packages to a budgeted 600 employees and their families.
“They wanted to help,” said Kelvin Moniz, the KIFB executive director. “We will use them because we need them for the distributions coming up. If we don’t use them now, they might not be available when we need them.”
Oriented toward family meal creations, Wednesday’s package included chicken, eggs, bread, an assortment of canned goods, and a case of saimin. The Grand Hyatt Kaua‘i contributed baked goods for the family.
“We just couldn’t do the hot meals, this time,” said Grand Hyatt Kaua‘i Chef Greg Grohowski. “We don’t have the manpower. You might think it’s just 600 people, but with the family, that’s 2,400 meals, and right now, we don’t have the hands.”
Cars started lining the avenue from an hour before the scheduled star, each one being greeted by a representative of the Grand Hyatt Kaua‘i management team, including Dan King who flitted between cars as well as the volunteers, stopping to be introduced to the KIFB new board president Donna King.
“The cars are lined up back to the access road,” King said. “This is awesome.”
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Dennis Fujimoto, staff writer and photographer, can be reached at 245-0453 or dfujimoto@thegardenisland.com.
