Project Give Back - June

Thanks to the everyone who attended classes in the month of June, the money donated by Kryske Training to The Hawaii Foodbank will help provide 1,025 meals! Kryske Training would also like to thank our students that brought a total of 33 pounds of food that was dropped off with the check. Pictured, left is Malia Denis of Kryske Training presenting the Project Give Back donation to Kim Bartenstein, The Hawaii Foodbank Food Drive Manager.

The Hawaii Foodbank “The people of Hawaii are one ohana. The Hawaii Foodbank provides food so that no one in our family goes hungry. We work to gather food and support from our communities. We then distribute food through charitable agencies to those in need. Our mission is from the heart, and we will fulfill our mission with integrity, humanity and aloha.” The Hawaii Foodbank Mission Statement

WHAT IS THE HAWAII FOODBANK?
The Hawaii Foodbank is the only nonprofit 501(c)(3) agency in the state of Hawaii that collects, warehouses and distributes mass quantities of both perishable and nonperishable food to over 250 charitable agencies on Oahu.

The Hawaii Foodbank forms a vital link with food donors, charitable agencies and the hungry in Hawaii by collecting, inspecting, storing and distributing donated and purchased food. Last year the Hawaii Foodbank distributed 8.7 million pounds of food, including 1.6 million pounds of fresh produce to feed 131,862 different people in need statewide.

The Hawaii Foodbank has served the people of Hawaii for 25 years. Whether feeding the needy or distributing emergency food to survivors after Hurricane Iniki, the Hawaii Foodbank has been there to help rebuild lives and give hope for a better tomorrow.

HISTORY
John White came to Hawaii in 1964 as a graduate student to study for his doctorate in Political Science at the University of Hawaii. After seeing the growing number of people who needed emergency food, he dropped his studies and dedicated his life to making the Hawaii Foodbank a reality.

With a food bank model in one hand and determination in another, John White opened the first Hawaii Foodbank warehouse on Sand Island Access Road in 1983. Operating on a shoestring budget with one driver, a donated truck, a forklift and two refrigerated containers, the Hawaii Foodbank distributed 380,000 pounds of food to 75 member agencies in its first year of operation.

Today the Hawaii Foodbank distributes over eight million pounds of food including one million pounds of fresh produce to the hungry each year. It serves over 250 member agencies representing Oahu’s food pantries, feeding programs, homeless shelters, rehabilitation centers and soup kitchens.

CURRENT NEED
Now more than ever, donations of food and dollars are needed to help feed the increasing number of families and individuals trying to make ends meet despite Hawaii’s slowing economy and rising unemployment. Agencies of the Foodbank are also seeing more families and individuals who have been affected by job layoffs, cutbacks in hours and the rising cost of living.

To keep pace with Hawaii’s increasing demand for emergency food, the Hawaii Foodbank has purchased almost 750,000 pounds of food year to date to supplement donations received on a daily basis. So far the Foodbank has purchased: rice, cabbage, canned tuna, apples and pears.

For more information, visit www.hawaiifoodbank.org