Food assistance program for recently unemployed set to begin in Waipio
A public-private partnership between the City and County of Honolulu, the Bank of Hawaii Foundation and the Hawaii Community Foundation to provide food assistance to recently unemployed individuals is set to roll out Thursday, April 30, at Waipio Peninsula Soccer Complex. The distribution under the food assistance program at 93-061 Waipio Point Access Road, will run from 12 p.m. to 4 p.m.
“It’s so reaffirming to see people stepping up to help those who need the help during this unprecedented time,” said Mayor Kirk Caldwell. “We are proud of the way the Hawaii Foodbank and the Hawaii Community Foundation, with the financial support of the Bank of Hawaii, have come together to help ease the burden of hundreds of thousands of people on Oahu right now who are struggling to feed their families.”
“This is a wonderful example of collaboration between government, non-profits, and our local food service companies,” said Honolulu Councilmember Brandon Elefante, who represents District 8. “The community is very grateful and appreciative of everyone’s generous donations to this effort.”
The goal is to have two food assistance distribution programs per week at venues across Oahu. Upcoming distribution locations, dates, and times are to be determined, and schedules will be posted on the Hawaii Foodbank’s website. Multiple family pick-ups (two to three families per vehicle) are recommended and all orders will need to be picked up in a vehicle. Participants are asked to remain in their vehicles as we do our best to follow CDC guidelines regarding social distancing.
The Royal Hawaiian Band, under the direction of Clarke Bright, will assist the Hawaii Foodbank with the distributions. The band, which in a normal year performs over 350 concerts, has assisted in staffing the City’s call center and performing other critical tasks during the pandemic. They will be engaged in transporting, packing and distributing the food to families in need.
The public-private initiative was spurred by the unprecedented demand on food banks in Hawaii due to the financial consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic on island families. With an economic downturn, closures and shorter business hours, and increased unemployment, demand for Hawaii Foodbank food assistance has increased nearly 60 percent and is expected to continue to rise.
In addition, the City and County of Honolulu matched a $1 million donation from the Hawaii Resilience Fund of the Hawaii Community Foundation (HCF) for COVID-19 relief efforts. The funds will go to the Hawaii Foodbank to deploy food distributions at the new locations across Oahu. This will be in addition to the existing food distributions at 200 Hawaii Foodbank Partner Agencies island wide.
Four food partners – Sysco Hawaii; Hawai‘i Foodservice Alliance; Hawaii Ranchers Kauai, Hawaii Island, Maui and Oahu; and the Hawaii Farm Bureau– will provide high-quality food products for an estimated 4,000 households at each distribution site. Several community partners, including Hawaii Counts 2020 Census, Child & Family Service, the Domestic Violence Action Center, and the American Job Centers will also be on hand to provide valuable information to recipients for this food assistance program.
