Posted on: Thursday, October 21, 2004
Foodbank doubles capacity for donations
By James Gonser
Advertiser Urban Honolulu Writer
The Hawai'i Foodbank yesterday celebrated completion of its $2 million warehouse expansion project, which doubled the storage space available for food to feed the hungry.
Bruce Asato • The Honolulu Advertiser The group now has a 23,668-square-foot warehouse and 4,589 feet of office space on Kilihau Street. Improvements also include an expanded receiving area, new storage racks, a new 75-pallet capacity chiller and newly renovated freezer, new floor scales, angled shelves for easier shopping and wider aisles.
The Foodbank collects and warehouses mass quantities of perishable and nonperishable food donated by food retailers, distributors, wholesalers and residents. Donated and purchased food is then distributed to more than 200 charities on O'ahu, as well as food banks on Hawai'i, Maui and Kaua'i.
• To donate food to the Hawai'i Foodbank, call 836-3600.
• For emergency food assistance, call 211. Of the people receiving food, 43,000 are children, 17,000 are elderly and 9,000 are homeless, according to the Foodbank. Many people are forced to choose between buying food or paying rent or other bills.
Bruce Asato • The Honolulu Advertiser "This is awesome," Langi said. "There is a tremendous amount of hungry people out there. About 4 percent of our community goes to bed hungry every night. There is a lot of despair."
The expansion project was paid for by the Harry & Jeanette Weinberg Foundation, federal grants administered through the city of Honolulu, and Michael and Sandy Hartley.
Reach James Gonser at 535-2431 or jgonser@honoluluadvertiser.com.
"The expansion is the culmination of years of hard work, dedication and the generous donation of supporters," said Foodbank president Dick Grimm. "Our newly expanded facilities will allow the Hawai'i Foodbank to receive, store and distribute more food, operate more efficiently and better serve Hawai'i's needy communities."
Foodbank worker Seli Savaiinaea stands among boxes of food donated to distribute to agencies working with the hungry. A new 23,668-square-foot warehouse and other improvements will help the Hawai'i Foodbank better handle millions of pounds of donations.
Founded in 1983, the Foodbank distributed 383,000 pounds of food that first year out of a small warehouse on Sand Island. Last year, nearly 9 million pounds of food, including 1.8 million pounds of fresh produce, were distributed to about 118,000 people every week.
Food needed
Utu Langi is the founder and director of the H-5 Project, a faith-based group that cooks and delivers meals to about 3,000 people every week. Langi said the spacious new warehouse would make it easier for his group to arrange for pickups and shop for food.
The Rev. Ron Ching blesses the new warehouse, with Foodbank president Dick Grimm and chairwoman Linda Chu Takayama at right.
