Kaiser Donates $37K to Big Island Organizations

Kaiser Permanente’s Hilo location. Kaiser Permanente file courtesy image.

Nonprofits throughout the state, including two Big Island specific groups, recently received a portion of $165,900 in community benefit grants provided by Kaiser Permanente Hawai’i.

The Kohala Center and Kona Public Charter School, along with a hui of nine Big Island charter schools, received a combined total of $37,000 for efforts in healthy food sourcing.

Kaiser Permanente’s community benefit team provided 40 organizations in the state a total of $699,610 in community benefit funds in 2015 to improve the health and wellness or communities statewide.

“We’re starting off the new year by announcing our first round of community benefit grants, which focus on the good work being done by organizations to benefit Hawaii’s children and youth,” said Mary Ann Barnes, RN, president of Kaiser Foundation Health Plan and Hospitals Hawai’i Region. “Their work to support and improve the physical, behavioral and emotional health and well-being of our keiki is invaluable to the future of our community.”

Twenty-five thousand dollars went to The Kohala Center to increase local fresh food sourcing and the development of a new model for healthier school meals and snacks, as part of a statewide Farm-to-School Task Force.

Kona Public Charter School and a hut of nine charter schools on the island received $12,000 to implement a centralized, shared procurement system that would optimize healthy food sourcing for school meals.

Five additional organizations across the state received funds, including $45,000 to Kupu, $30,000 to the Center for Tomorrow’s Leaders, $20,000 to The American Diabetes Association, $19,900 to The Department of Education Office of Child Nutrition Programs, and $14,000 to Assets School.