NAWILIWILI — With the start of school looming in less than two weeks, a group of 20 volunteers from Starbucks and Mason Taylor of Southern California made an impact on the Kaua‘i Independent Food Bank’s (KIFB) school preparations on Thursday.
“This is Mason Taylor’s third straight day of coming to the food bank,” said Kelvin Moniz, KIFB executive director. “He’s come back to help. He was here, last year, too.”
Taylor was joined by a group of volunteers from Starbucks and waited patiently while Moniz and KIFB Programs Director Kawai Gampon explained details of the tasks awaiting the Starbucks group, which included managers and regional managers from off-island.
“The Starbucks people will be packing rice for the backpack program,” Moniz said. “School is right around the corner, and we need to be ready. The packaged rice the Starbucks people are working on will be sent home with keiki to help carry them (and their families) through the weekend when they have no food.”
Taylor, a student at JSerra Catholic High School in Orange County, California, has been visiting Kaua‘i for at least 15 years. But he started volunteering only in the past several years.
“He’s been coming to Kaua‘i since he was a baby,” Moniz said. “They’re from some place near Disneyland in California.”
Taylor said since he’s been coming here for such a long time, he’s gotten to know the island and the people who live here.
“I just wanted to do
something to give back,” Taylor said. “I was looking for some place that has an impact on the lives of people. The Kaua‘i Independent Food Bank definitely makes a difference to the people who receive its service, so I figured that would be a good place to help.”
During the school year, the backpack program serves a number of students with healthy food and snacks that will carry their family through the weekend. Without the program, some of the students would go hungry through the weekend, and wait until Monday until they can get food through their school’s food relief programs, such as free and reduced-priced meals for low-income families.
Gampon said in addition to volunteering for a day, the Starbucks group nominated KIFB for one of its corporate awards.
“The nomination was approved and, as a result, KIFB received a $2,000 grant,” Gampon said. “This is amazing because we’re the only organization in the state that was approved.”
Volunteer opportunities are always welcomed at KIFB. For more information, visit its website at www.kauaifoodbank.org, or call 808-246-3809.
The KIFB also hosts emergency food distributions on the second and fourth Wednesdays of the month from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.
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Dennis Fujimoto, staff writer and photographer, can be reached at 808-245-0453 or dfujimoto@thegardenisland.com.
