State Employees Bolster Hawai‘i Foodbank With 379,503 Meals

Firefighters assisting at a food bank. Wikipedia photo.

Lt. Gov. Doug Chin presented a check to the Hawai‘i Foodbank on Wednesday, July 11, 2018, that will provide 379,503 meals to help Hawai‘i families in need.

As the state coordinator, Lt. Gov. Chin kicked off the State Employees Annual Food Drive back in February and encouraged a vigorous participation among state departments and agencies. The state employees went to work collecting and conducting creative food drives within their respective departments.

“The people of Hawai‘i are one ‘ohana and the many state employees, who participated in this year’s food drive, have shown the power of aloha,” said Lt. Gov. Chin. “The State of Hawai‘i is the largest coalition collecting for the Hawai‘i Foodbank, and I’m proud to say our state employees continue to show the way.”

This year, state employees brought in 57,225 pounds of food and $134,619 to support those in our state struggling with hunger. That equates to 379,503 meals.

“The Hawai‘i Foodbank knows every bit helps,” said Hawai‘i Foodbank President and CEO Ron Mizutani. “The generosity of state employees will go far and help feed the most-needy including working families.”

The State Employees Food Drive launched in 1999 and was a huge success with donations in its first year, equating to 265,820 meals.

“The 2018 state food drive tally was about eight percent less than last year, which is especially phenomenal considering that our generous state was also contributing and donating toward natural disaster relief on three islands,” said Lt. Gov. Chin.

The Hawai‘i Foodbank serves 287,000 people every year. The many dedicated state employees will continue each year to help support those in need. For more information about how to help feed Hawai‘i’s hungry, go online.