Music Series to Benefit The Food Basket

Participants enjoy an event at Kealakekua Ranch. Photo courtesy: Kealakekua Ranch Ltd.

ChoiceMART, located in the Kealakekua Ranch Center, is set to launch a new music series benefiting The Food Basket – Hawai‘i Island’s Food Bank.

The Kohomua Music Series at The Ranch will begin on Nov. 12 and run on every second Saturday continuing through February from 4 to 6 p.m.

Each afternoon of entertainment will feature Hawaiian cultural performances by top local artists in an open-air setting on the lawn at Kealakekua Ranch Center. Attendees are welcome to bring blankets and chairs.

On Nov. 12, Bula Akamu, an accomplished Hawaiian and contemporary music recording artist who specializes in ‘ukulele, guitar and slack key, will kick off the series. Future performers will be announced at a later date.

Future performers will be announced at a later date.

Admission to each performance is free with the donation of two cans of non-perishable food items to support The Food Basket. ChoiceMART will host a display in-store of top needed items that will be available to purchase on the day of the events.

The Food Basket’s mission to feed the hungry in Hawai`i County closely aligns with what ChoiceMART aims to do in the South Kona community, and is what drew the Captain Cook grocer to create a benefit event, according to Rhonda Kavanagh, Chief Executive Officer of Kealakekua Ranch, Ltd and ChoiceMART.

“Kealakekua Ranch has been a partner in the community for over 135 years,” said Kavanagh. “When Kealakekua Ranch launched ChoiceMART in 2000 our goal was to ensure the community had a local source for groceries. Helping feed families in our community is important to us. We make contributions to The Food Basket on a weekly basis, and this concert series is another way to help serve families in need.”

“South Kona is a community that is often overlooked when it comes to services,” said En Young, executive director of The Food Basket. “It is wonderful to have a partner like ChoiceMART, who is so rooted in the community, sponsor this type of activity that brings entertainment and happiness to the residents while raising awareness of unmet needs.

Beer, wine, and pūpū will be available at the event for purchase. No coolers are allowed in the venue.

Established in 1881, Kealakekua Ranch, Ltd owns and operates Kealakekua Ranch Shopping Center and ChoiceMART supermarket in Captain Cook. Kealakekua Ranch is a major employer in the South Kona district and also supports hundreds of local farmers, fishermen, and producers by featuring local produce, fish and island products at ChoiceMART.

The mission of The Food Basket, Inc. is to feed the hungry in Hawai‘i County while attending to the root causes of this critical social problem. The Food Basket will accomplish its mission by preventing the waste of all edible food in Hawai‘i County, feeding the hungry with this food, educating the community about local hunger and what can be done to solve this social problem, and collaborating with organizations of partnering missions to eradicate poverty, the root of hunger and other social ills.