Food Basket reaches goal as hunger worsens

BY CAROLYN LUCAS-ZENK

WEST HAWAII TODAY

clucas-zenk@westhawaiitoday.com

A 10-day-long effort to gather 100,000 pounds of food for the island’s only food bank reached its goal, but the “tremendous” increase in demand for food remains and the call for help is continuous, said Nani Lee, executive director of The Food Basket Inc.

“We distribute about 100,000 pounds in one month alone,” she said. “While this donation is meaningful and an accomplishment, it’s not enough to feed the entire island throughout the year. But it certainly makes a difference in helping us kick start the year and stay hopeful.”

Over the past 10 years, the Food Basket has held its Feed-A-Thon and met its goals, thanks to local radio personality Tommy “Kahikina” Ching, its sponsors and the public. However, organizers of this year’s campaign were “really nervous” and “feeling the squeeze” when the last day, Feb. 10, came and $1,500 worth of food was still needed.

Then by the day’s end, the exact amount was donated by Al Gustavson, president of Goose’s Edge, which owns gas stations statewide, including the Queen Kaahumanu Tesoro.

“As a sponsor, he had already been helping pay for additional expenses we had with running the Feed-A-Thon. His donation went above and beyond,” Lee said. “It also made the crowd go crazy, including Kahikina who in the middle of an interview did leaps and ran around to the band’s tune of ‘Sweet Home Alabama.'”

This wasn’t the only moment that energized the campaign. There were several local children like Caleb Nakano, Kolika and Keahiwai Lindsey, the Clifford brothers, and youth with the Keauhou Canoe Club who voluntarily collected donations. There was also 5-year-old Ben Daughtery who brought cart and a coin bag to the Waikoloa Village Market, where he donated all things — animal crackers, macaroni and cheese and pudding — he thought keiki would like to eat, Lee said.

“We’re grateful to them and all others who helped. Every day during this campaign, we persevered and we have to continue even more so because the issue is ongoing,” she said.

Roughly 16 percent of Big Island residents are “food insecure,” meaning they have difficulty feeding one or more of their household members because of a lack of money or access. The state average is 12.7 percent, Lee said.

For Big Island children alone, there are 26.6 percent of them who do not know where their next meal is coming from. The state average is 20.8 percent, Lee said.

The Food Basket is an islandwide nonprofit that gives out between 1.2 million and 1.3 million pounds of food annually to low-income households, the working poor, people with disabilities, the ill, senior citizens, children’s programs and other charitable organizations, Lee said.

In particular, there’s a noticeable and growing group of working and middle-class people who are seeking help from food pantries, which are often the first tentative step for those who incomes are too high to qualify for government assistance, she said.

“If the economy is recovering, we’re not seeing any evidence of it through our programs. In fact, we’re feeding more people with less food,” she added.

Besides its annual Feed-A-Thon, the National Association of Letter Carriers’ Food Drive is “a huge source of food.” Donation drop-off bins at local grocery stores and fire stations, as well as campaigns by community groups and businesses, also help immensely. For instance, one local real estate agent annually donates a percentage of her commission in her clients’ names to the Food Basket, Lee said.

Food comes from retailers, wholesalers, distributors, farmers, residents and donors. Some are discarding goods that are close to their expiration date, unmarketable, mislabeled or “aesthetically displeasing” — such as dented, torn and ripped labels. Also, about once a month, a group of gleaners are scouring Big Island neighborhoods and knocking on doors in search of residents willing to let them haul any of their excess or unwanted fruit away to food pantries, Lee said.

All donated products are inspected, sorted, cleaned or trimmed. Food Basket can only accept meat that comes from a slaughterhouse and subject to USDA inspection, Lee said.

Food Basket’s warehouses supply more than 70 member agencies; they distribute that food directly to community members in need through various programs, including the Senior Brown Bag Program, Senior Farmers Market Nutrition Program, food pantries, soup kitchens and shelters, Lee said.

Last year, the Food Basket had approximately 129,000 visits to food pantries, served more than 322,000 meals at soup kitchens, and provided 393,000 snacks and meals to shelters, Lee said.

Like other nonprofits, the Food Basket’s annual operating budget has been “whacked” from $885,434 in 2011 to $848,500 this year. Adding an additional four employees to its “skeleton staff” would be “a blessing, though not possible at the moment.” The Food Basket anticipates being $120,000 in the hole this year because of increase expenses, Lee said.

“Our electrical bill greatly exceeds our rent,” she added.

Voluntary service offers and donations are always welcomed. Currently on the Food Basket’s wish list is a 40-foot by 14-foot walk-in freezer, Lee said.

To contribute, get involved or for more information, call Food Basket at 322-1418 in Kona and 933-6030 in Hilo. Also, visit foodbaskethi.org.