WAIMEA — The refrigerated truck was not marked as it rolled onto the campus of the Waimea Canyon Middle School, Wednesday with its load of more than 600 pounds of food bags, snacks, fresh papaya and mushrooms as well as a new refrigerator and a pair of storage cabinets to accommodate the food load.
“The truck is the newest member of our fleet,” said Tisha Remigio, the Hawai‘i Foodbank Kaua‘i Impact Manager. “We added this truck to help our services with picking up donations as well as delivering food to charitable partner agencies. This truck allows a non-CDL driver to operate.”
This was the truck used to set up the latest school pantry program at the Waimea Canyon Middle School by Hawai‘i Foodbank Kaua‘i’s Raina Santos, Michelle Panoke, and John Montemayor with WCMS vice principals Joseph Hedstom and Geordan Kanelopoulos who pulled in Custodian Supervisor Adele Kanahele to help with getting everything set up for the 80 students that are initially registered to receive benefits of the food pantry. Waimea Canyon Middle School student Isaiah Dela Cruz volunteered to help move food and school equipment, getting an invitation from Santos to enjoy some of the snacks as a reward for his volunteerism.
“This is just the start,” Santos said. “The school is working to increase the registration so more students are able to benefit from the food pantry. This is the first school of three schools that approved the food pantry set up on their respective campuses. In addition to Waimea Canyon Middle School, we’re working to schedule set ups at the Kapa‘a High School, and at the King Kaumuali‘i Elementary School.”
The School Pantry program, labeled “Food 4 Keiki School Pantry,” provides snacks for young students as well as additional family food bags to take home. The school’s administration, usually the Parent Community Network Coordinator handles the distribution of 5-pound food bags and snacks to the keiki throughout the school year.
“We are excited that Department of Education Kaua‘i Area Complex Superintendent Daniel Hamada shares the same passion — to ensure that all students have safe access to food and snacks,” Remigio said. “His support of the program is instrumental in expanding the School Pantry program throughout the County of Kaua‘i.”
Vice Principal Hedstrom said he will be overseeing the food distribution at WCMS after being inspired by the community response to a food distribution that was inspired by two WCMS students’ concerns about getting food to people who are afflicted by food insecurity.
Currently, the Hawai‘i Foodbank Kaua‘i has the Keikio 4 Food participation of the Kekaha Elementary School, Waimea High School, ‘Ele‘ele Elementary School, Kalaheo Elementary School, Koloa Elementary School, Kaua‘i High School, Kapa‘a Elementary School, the Kapa‘a Middle School, Kanuikapono Public Charter School, and soon, Waimea Canyon Middle School, King Kaumuali‘i Elementary School, and Kapa‘a High School.
“Last year, the Hawai‘i Foodbank Kaua‘i served more than 1,100 students and their families through the School Pantry program,” Remigio said. “We look forward to watch that number rise as we collaborate with more schools.”
