KEKAHA — There was not an ear of corn to be found. Instead, the aroma of brewing chicken hekka wafted through the fields of corn and tugged at the senses of motorists driving past the Kekaha station of Syngenta Seeds,
KEKAHA — There was not an ear of corn to be found.
Instead, the aroma of brewing chicken hekka wafted through the fields of corn and tugged at the senses of motorists driving past the Kekaha station of Syngenta Seeds, Wednesday.
Coming on the success of a similar luncheon last week, the American Cancer Society’s “Relay for Life” team decided to host another employee lunch as a fundraiser before Saturday.
“Whatever funds we generate, Syngenta Seeds will match,” said Tami Rawlins, the Team Syngenta captain. “Right now, we sold 87 lunches at $10 each last week, and today, the sky’s the limit.”
Isaac Miller, one of the chefs for the chicken hekka, said last week they prepared for 80 meals and ended up selling 87.
“This week, based on how things went last week, we’ve doubled the recipes and can probably handle up to a thousand meals,” Miller said.
Laurie Goodwin, the Syngenta Seeds Hawai‘i outreach manager, said although Syngenta has been participating in the ACS Relay for Life for the past several years, this is the best fundraiser yet.
“This involves a lot more employees than the 10 or 12 who have signed up for the Relay,” Goodwin said. “The lunches have proven to be so successful, the employees are thinking of doing at least one a month with the money being given to community causes.”
Rawlins said that when Team Syngenta shows up at the ACS Relay for Life, Saturday at Hanapepe Stadium, there will be about a dozen employees and their families.
“We’re a little over the limit of 10 per team, but I think it’s alright,” Rawlins said. “It should be a lot of fun.”
Along with the chicken hekka entree, Goodwin said they’ll have a potato-mac salad prepared by Rawlins’ husband Stan who works at the Pacific Missile Range Facility, and a variety of desserts anchored by two sheet cakes contributed by Shirley Sam Fong whose cousin has a small business making cakes.
“This is such a good event to get our employees more involved in community events,” Goodwin said. “A lot of our employees come from this community, and they’re happy when we do things that help out.”
According to a kauaiworld.com article printed on Feb. 15, the Relay for Life which starts Saturday at 6 p.m., is an overnight event designed to celebrate survivorship and raise funds for the American Cancer Society.
Teams consisting of at least 10 people gather at Hanapepe Stadium and take turns walking or running laps throughout the night starting with the opening lap which will feature cancer survivors.
Relay for Life, with its circle of luminaria dedicated to those who are fighting, or lost the fight to cancer, represents the hope that those lost to cancer will never be forgotten, and that those who face cancer will be supported. It also represents the hope that one day, cancer will be eliminated, the article states.
• For more information on the Relay of Life, call co-chairs Jade Wai‘aleale Battad or Dale Matsuura at 346-2623, or 635-7549, respectively.
