LIHU‘E — Concerns about spreading COVID-19 reinforced by the announcement of new safety and health guidelines by Gov. David Ige on Aug. 10 have resulted in cancellations and “postponements” of events that were scheduled this weekend.
The Hawai‘i Foodbank Kaua‘i Branch’s 32nd annual Food Drive Day scheduled for Saturday and the Relay For Life 2021 Luminaria Experience scheduled for Sunday are the latest events to announce postponements or cancellations because of the recent spike in COVID-19 cases.
“Unfortunately, with the uptick in positive COVID cases in recent days, we decided to postpone the Sunday event scheduled to take place at The Coconut Marketplace,” said Patti Ornellas, the American Cancer Society West Region development manager. “We are as bummed as all you were looking forward to the Luminaria Experience. However, postponing was the only decision we could make.”
Ornellas said that if the numbers start declining, the Relay For Life 2021 hopes to do this Luminaria Experience later in the fall.
“This is nothing to do with the Hawai‘i Foodbank Kaua‘i,” said Melissa McFerrin-Warrack of Kukui Grove Center. “The orders came from Honolulu. The need for food is still there, and people are welcome to help the Hawai‘i Foodbank by visiting their website at https://hawaiifoodbank.org/kauai-food-drive-day/ and contributing through the donation button.”
The Hawai‘i Foodbank Kaua‘i staff expressed disappointment with the cancelation.
“The staff was really enthused,” McFerrin-Warrack said. “This was the final day for their food drive, and they were determined to make this a truly fun day.”
Wes Perreira, the Hawai‘i Foodbank Kaua‘i director, said that in lieu of hosting its physical food collection sites Saturday, the Hawai‘i Foodbank Kaua‘i is encouraging the community to show its support by donating online, give virtually and advocate.
“With COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations on the rise on the island, we believe this is the most responsible thing for our organization to do,” Perreira said.
“Mitigating the spread of the virus is essential to continuing our daily mission of nourishing those in need. Our primary goal is to keep our ‘ohana — our employees, volunteers, partners, families, keiki, kupuna and all those we serve — safe and healthy. As we move forward, we will continue to use this as our guiding principle.”
The other event scheduled for Saturday — the fundraising book sale with Kumu’s Cupboard partnering with Sheila Bradley and Usborne Books and More — will continue to be available from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at KGC.
“The pandemic has taught our organizations many things, including how quickly circumstances can change and just how fragile food security can be,” said Chyenne Beach of the Hawai‘i Foodbank Kaua‘i.
“But it has also shown us just how resilient the people of Kaua‘i are. Time after time, we continue to see people step up and give by example. For all those reasons, it’s important for our community that we keep Food Drive Day going,” Beach said.
Other events suffering less of an impact by the shutdowns include the practices of the Special Olympic Kaua‘i Athletes and Unified Partners who qualified for and became eligible for the national competition in Florida next year.
“We just received clearance to be back on the field a few weeks ago,” said Special Olympics Kaua‘i coach Ona Sa McDermott. “But we just found out that all activity has been suspended until further notice.”
The Special Olympic Kaua‘i Unified Team includes Melissa Iida, Ana Munoz, Lisa Laureta and Carleen Yamamoto. The singular Special Olympic Kaua‘i athlete is Rondelle Lee.
“We’ll be doing some fundraising to help them get to Florida,” Sa McDermott said. “However, anyone can donate to help them — they need to raise about $1,500 apiece — by visiting the Special Olympics Hawai‘i website, or contact our area director Jocelyn Barriga.”
Robin Jumper of the Kaua‘i Marathon is hoping the new restrictions will not impact the scheduled Keiki Run planned for Sept. 5 at the grassy area fronting the Grand Hyatt Kaua‘i Resort &Spa in Po‘ipu.
“I just got through mailing out the final package for the Stride for Kaua‘i 100-mile Challenge that attracted participants from around the world,” Jumper said. “With the Keiki Run coming up, I’m already in communication with the COVID team about securing the necessary clearances for this ‘professionally planned’ event. We’ll keep you updated.”
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Dennis Fujimoto, staff writer and photographer, can be reached at 245-0453 or dfujimoto@thegardenisland.com.
