EDITORIAL
Foodbank requires help from all of us

Small gestures can have big results.

One place where this is particularly clear is in the way Islanders help the Hawai'i Foodbank.

A can or two of tuna, a couple of cans of Spam or a bag of rice can mean a lot to families who are unable to adequately feed themselves.

The number of such families has increased alarmingly in the last year.

The Foodbank will hold its annual food drive today in the face of a rising demand for help, not only from the poor and homeless, but from working families who count on the Foodbank to supplement what they can get for themselves.

The Foodbank distributes food to some 260 member organizations — including soup kitchens, shelters and other social service organizations — who in turn help to feed about 118,000 people in Hawai'i each week.

That's why the drive's goal is collection of 525,000 pounds of food and $400,000 in donations to help feed Hawai'i's hungry.

The Hawai'i Foodbank has received the highest rating from Charity Navigator, America's largest independent evaluator of charities. Ninety-six cents of every dollar goes directly to feeding the hungry in Hawai'i.

While the organization receives large quantities of carbohydrates and other basics from the federal government and from food suppliers, it relies on individuals to supplement where the need is greatest: high-protein foods.

Canned meat and fish, such as tuna, are in particularly high demand.

Your help may seem like a small thing, but it will loom large in the eyes of the hungry person who receives it.

For details of where you can drop off donations, call 836-3600.