Tuesday was a special day for Asaka Herman of the Boys &Girls Club of Hawai‘i Lihu‘e Clubhouse.
“Hurry, hurry,” Herman urged BGCH staff members John Balbin and Jaelyn Belarde. “Logan is leaving. He needs a food package before he leaves.”
Asaka, celebrating her 10th year with the BGCH, spearheaded the registration of U.S. Department of Agriculture Farmers to Families food boxes that were distributed Tuesday to BGCH members at its West Kaua‘i, Lihu‘e and Kapa‘a sites.
“It’s a really happy day when we can share with our families and celebrate the long tenure of a terrific employee like Asaka Herman all in one day,” said Tina Albao, the BGCH Kaua‘i director of operations and development. “Asaka always gives her heart to the youth and families, and ensures they have everything they need.”
The Boys &Girls Club Kaua‘i was one of four agencies involved in distributing 400 USDA Farmers to Families food boxes to families across the island, coordinated by the Lili‘uokalani Trust Kaua‘i.
Other community agencies participating in the distribution included the county’s Agency on Elderly Affairs and the Kaua‘i Pop Warner Football League, including all five of its towns providing distribution from Kekaha to Kapa‘a.
“This is our sixth round of USDA food-box distribution,” said Shereen Ho‘opi‘i of the Lili‘uokalani Trust. “We have been approved for the sixth and seventh rounds, so we’ll have another distribution in April.”
The food box is made up of three parts, including a food box that includes two tubs of sour cream, a block of cheese, a bag each of sweet onions and potatoes, fresh pineapple and assorted vegetables. A protein box added frozen chicken, salmon burgers, hot dogs and a gallon of milk.
Ho‘opi‘i noted that through the ingenuity of the AEA’s Donna Loo, the food packages are further broken down to be able to provide food for a lot of the elderly populations in the kupuna housing projects from Lihu‘e to the Westside.
“A lot of the food going with the Koloa Pop Warner association is heading to families who are furloughed from their jobs with the hotels,” said Kaua‘i Pop Warner Football League President Teddy Arroyo, who helped unload the Kealoha Transfer truck. “We have been blessed to have been kept busy since this whole thing started. We just help to give back to the community,” he said.
