32nd Annual Food Drive Day Goes Virtual
Hawaii Foodbank
Hawaii Foodbank’s flagship fundraising event goes virtual in an effort to help mitigate the recent COVID-19 surge.
Hawaii Foodbank will hold this year’s 32nd annual Food Drive Day virtually on Saturday, Aug. 14, after careful consultation with local health leaders and state officials.
“With COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations on the rise in Hawaii, we believe this is the most responsible thing for our organization to do. Mitigating the spread of the virus is essential to continuing our daily mission to nourish those in need,” said Amy Marvin, president and CEO of Hawaii Foodbank. “Our primary goal is to keep our ‘ohana safe and healthy — our employees, volunteers, partners, families, keiki, kupuna and all those we serve. As we move forward, we will continue to use this as our guiding principle.”
In lieu of hosting its physical food collection sites, Hawaii Foodbank is providing three safe and easy ways to help online Saturday, Aug. 14.
People can help as follows:
Advocate
for Hawaii Foodbank
Added Hawaii Foodbank Director of Community Relations Beverly Santos, “The pandemic has taught our organization many things — how quickly circumstances can change and just how fragile food security can be. But it has also shown us just how resilient the people of Hawaii are. Time after time, we continue to see people step up and give by example. For all those reasons, it’s important for our community that we keep Food Drive Day going this year.”
Our primary goal is to keep our ‘ohana safe and healthy — our employees, volunteers, partners, families, keiki, kupuna and all those we serve. As we move forward, we will continue to use this as our guiding principle.
Hunger in Hawaii is at its highest levels in almost a century. Hawaii’s unemployment rate remains among the highest in the country, and 1 in 6 Hawaii residents continue to struggle with hunger this year. This includes more than 81,000 children locally, who are now among the hardest hit populations in the entire United States. According to Feeding America, the nation’s largest hunger-relief organization, Hawaii is projected to experience the second highest rate of child food insecurity in the nation this year.
Since the beginning of the pandemic last March, Hawaii Foodbank has distributed food for more than 27 million meals — serving nearly 60 percent more individuals compared to before the pandemic. To continue this level of distribution, Hawaii Foodbank’s mission depends on donations from the community. As such, Food Drive Day is paramount to maintaining an adequate supply to those in need. Donations made each year on Food Drive Day better prepare Hawaii Foodbank for emergencies, hurricane season, natural disasters and other unexpected events like COVID-19.
Hawaii Foodbank launched its inaugural Food Drive Day more than 30 years ago to help ensure that there is enough food to feed the Hawaii community. For additional information, please visit HawaiiFoodbank.org/food-drive-day.
