PUHI — Saturday was a special food distribution for the Hawai‘i Foodbank Kaua‘i Branch, which partnered with the Kaua‘i Filipino Women’s Club to distribute food packages to more than 300 families that pre-registered for the drive-thru event at the Kaua‘i Philippine Cultural Center.
According to Tish Ruiz of the foodbank, more than 17,000 pounds of food, including special contributions from Kaua‘i Shrimp, Y. Hata and Hawai‘i Foodservice Alliance, was passed out in the distribution where people were lined up from as early as two hours before the gates opened at the distribution site.
The corps of volunteers received help from visiting dignitaries, including Honolulu Councilmember Radiant Cordero, state Rep. Troy Hashimoto of Maui, and select leadership from the Young Democrats of Hawai‘i who, in addition to helping with distributing food, were scheduled to do work at Kalena Park in Lihu‘e scheduled to celebrate the opening of Fitness Week Sunday.
In a statement from the Hawai‘i Foodbank team on O‘ahu, the Saturday food distribution done in partnership with the Kaua‘i Filipino Women’s Club marked the end of community pop-up food distributions.
“As COVID-19 intensified last year, Hawai‘i Foodbank established a series of supplemental, pop-up food distributions to support our existing network of food partner agencies,” said the Hawai‘i Foodbank statement.
“During this time, as many families found themselves in need of help for the first time in their lives, the pop-ups became the only food-assistance opportunity they had ever known.”
This was further reinforced by the battery of proclamations, some being delivered by Hashimoto, announcing Saturday as Hawai‘i Foodbank Kaua‘i Day for the work the organization did during the pandemic.
“The COVID-19 pandemic created a devastating economic downfall on Kaua‘i, including some of the highest unemployment rates in the nation, and an 80 percent increase in the need for food assistance,” states the proclamation issued by Mayor Derek Kawakami.
“Hawai‘i Foodbank Kaua‘i responded diligently to the unprecedented needs of the health crisis — executing its mission at a persistently intense pace for more than a year with little or no reprieve. Since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, Hawai‘i Foodbank Kaua‘i distributed more than 2.5 million pounds of food, increasing food distribution by 89 percent,” Kawakami wrote.
These sentiments and factoids were repeated throughout proclamations issued by Gov. David Ige, the state Legislature, and the Kaua‘i County Council, each ending with declaring May 15 as Hawai‘i Foodbank Kauai Day.
“As our community reopens, Hawai‘i Foodbank must shift back to our responsibility of providing food primarily through our existing network of food pantries, soup kitchens and a wide variety of other distribution sites,” said the Hawai‘i Foodbank statement. “We are working hard to transition those who are in need during this difficult time, and if you need help, we have a multitude of food-assistance opportunities available.”
For more information, visit hawaiifoodbank.org/help.
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Dennis Fujimoto, staff writer and photographer, can be reached at 245-0453 or dfujimoto@thegardenisland.com.
