LIHU‘E — Volunteers are still needed to help in the afternoon hours at Walmart, Foodland and Safeway stores, said Kelvin Moniz, Food Resources director for the Kaua‘i Independent Food Bank. KIFB, in conjunction with its annual Spring Healthy Food and
LIHU‘E — Volunteers are still needed to help in the afternoon hours at Walmart, Foodland and Safeway stores, said Kelvin Moniz, Food Resources director for the Kaua‘i Independent Food Bank.
KIFB, in conjunction with its annual Spring Healthy Food and Fund Drive, will be hosting a food collection day where the public can contribute towards helping to feed Kaua‘i’s hungry.
Moniz said more than 150 volunteers will join the KIFB staff and Board of Directors at manning fishnets and collecting nonperishable food at locations from Hanalei to Waimea at various hours from 9 a.m. through 6 p.m., Saturday.
The Walmart store, Big Kmart, Ching Young Village in Hanalei, the Kukui Grove Center, the Big Save stores in ‘Ele‘ele and Koloa, Ishihara Market, Safeway, and Foodland stores in Waipouli and Princeville are locations where volunteers will be greeting and thanking people for their help.
“Right now, we’re at about one-fourth of our $40,000 and 40,000 pounds of food goal set for the spring drive,” Moniz said in a phone interview. “We are thankful to Joe Williams, organizer of the recent 2011 International Garden Isle Tri Fest, and the Rotary Club of Po‘ipu Beach for more than $2,000 presented to Judy Lenthall, the KIFB director. This helps us get to about $10,000 collected so far, and about the same amount in food.”
Demand for food has risen from 58,000 requests in 2008 to almost 120,000 requests in 2010, states the KIFB website. To answer that demand, food distribution to more than 50 partner sites around the island increased from 483,679 pounds in 2008 to more than 730,000 pounds in 2010.
Visit www.kauaifoodbank.org, or call Moniz at 246-3809, ext. 102 for more information.
