The Pearl City community and businesses came together, once again, in support of the Hawaii Foodbank on Saturday, April 19 with their generous food and monetary donations during the 25th Annual Hawaii Foodbank Food Drive hosted by the Pearl City Shopping Center.
A few hundred community volunteers representing groups such as the Pearl City, Kalakaua, and Mana Loa-Nimitz Lions Clubs, Farrington Leo Club, Pearl City Community Association, Waiau Senior Citizens Club, Military, Boy Scouts, Safeway, and local churches joined the Hawaii Foodbank personnel to collect donations from the community at a drop zone on the Pearl City Shopping Center property near Kamehameha Hwy as well as from motorists on Kamehameha Highway and Waimano Home Road.
"We have an awesome turnout of people in the Pearl City community, we’re so appreciative," said Connie Bennett, Hawaii Foodbank Director of Finance and annual food drive coordinator. "A lot of people coming through and dropping off a lot of food. We have a great group of awesome volunteers helping out and we appreciate the community, and everything they're doing to bring in food, bring in donations to support those in need."
The Pearl City community comes through each year in a big way in support of the annual food drive.
"Pearl City rocks it! Bennett said with pride. "We are #1! We actually had to stop taking people for volunteering at Pearl City. We had so many here. We possibly had over twenty or thirty different groups coming in here today. I'm always amazed by the outpouring and support. Our goal today is five-thousand dollars and five-thousand pounds. We're going to shoot for that."
Bennett is first to praise the volunteers team effort and support from Hawaii Foodbank President and CEO, Dick Grimm.
"This is totally a team effort," Bennett said. "This is our 25th year which is a big deal, and again the support from Oahu and the islands has just been growing every year. A special thanks to Dick Grimm who is our President and CEO. He's been supporting this for many years. But mainly this is a team effort."
The call for food and monetary donations to the Hawaii Foodbank is year round effort to help keep Hawaii's hungry fed.
"We and the other Lions Clubs believe in helping the food bank keep Hawaii's hungry fed," said Mana Loa-Nimitz Lions Club President, Chris Aguinaldo. "We encourage any other group to call in other parts of the year to find ways that they can help to continue feeding people in need."
Pearl City was one of eight, 25th Annual Hawaii Foodbank food drive drop-off zones and collection locations on Oahu.
For more information and to learn how to become a part of the Hawaii Foodbank volunteer team, please log on to the Hawaii Foodbank web site at: www.hawaiifoodbank.org.
Photo by Barry Villamil | [email protected]
Connie Bennett (standing, second from left) is pictured with Hawaii Food Bank food drive volunteers
at the Pearl City Shopping Center's drop-off zone and collection tent near Kamehameha Highway.
Photo by Barry Villamil | [email protected]
Honolulu City Councilman Breene Harimoto (far left) is joined by food drive volunteers
from the Waiau Senior Citizens Club and the Pearl City Community Association at the
Pearl City Shopping Center near the food drop-off zone and donation collection tent.
Photo by Barry Villamil | [email protected]
A food drive volunteer is pictured collecting a cash donation from a
motorists on Kamehameha Highway fronting the Pearl City Shopping Center.
Photo by Barry Villamil | [email protected]
Food drive volunteers from the Mana Loa-Nimitz Lions Club sort and pack food donations.
Photo by Barry Villamil | [email protected]
Mahalo to the group of Korean War Veterans who volunteered their time to help out at the food drive.
Photo by Barry Villamil | [email protected]