KTA Super Stores Hold Kahikina ‘Feed-A-Thon’

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mUFa_8r6mIU&authuser=0

Hawai‘i Island’s Food Bank’s annual Feed-A-Thon, hosted by longtime ambassador Tommy “Kahikina” Ching, is gearing up to take place at KTA Super Stores locations and Waikoloa Village Market beginning Wednesday, Aug. 24.

Non-perishable food and monetary donations will be accepted from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. for two days at each of the KTA-owned grocery store locations through Sept. 2 (see schedule below).

“After 15 years, I am still presenting the problem of basic staple foods and having access to them,” said Ching. “There is a need for community support. The message remains the same—‘one dollar or one can’—and if we all give a little, it can mean a lot.”

The Food Basket’s latest statistics show that one in five Hawai‘i Island residents are served by the non-profit through a network of nearly 100 partner agencies.

Tommy “Kahikina” Ching. Courtesy photo.

During the 15th annual Feed-A-Thon, Ching hopes to raise enough food and monetary donations for The Food Basket to feed the most vulnerable residents on the island during the non-peak giving period.

In addition to in-person donations, community members are invited to donate online via the nonprofit fundraising platform Classy.org.

With one in three children in Hawai‘i County eligible for free or reduced school meals, and many families and kūpuna facing high levels of food-insecurity, The Food Basket is in need of community support on a yearly basis.

“We are so pleased to be working with Kahikina for another year of the Feed-a-thon!” said En Young, executive director of The Food Basket. “Tommy’s infusion of food and funds at this time of the year is critical with kids going back to school and families starting to make tough decisions about the holidays. We want to reach Thanksgiving stocked and secure, and Kahikina’s help and the public’s help will make sure that happens. On a personal level, I think we are gearing up for the most fun yet as we will wrap up the drive on Kahikina’s birthday.”

Feed-A-Thon Schedule

• Aug. 24, 25: KTA Kailua-Kona
• Aug. 26, 27: Waikoloa Village Market
• Aug. 28, 29: KTA Waimea
• Aug. 30, 31: KTA Puainako
• Sept. 1, 2: KTA Keauhou

For more information on ways to help feed the hungry on Hawai‘i Island, contact The Food Basket at (808) 933-6030, or visit www.hawaiifoodbasket.org.