The Hawaii Foodbank's 20th annual Food Drive today comes amid the greatest demand some veteran Foodbank workers say they've ever witnessed.

"I've never seen the need higher," said Hawaii Foodbank president Dick Grimm, who added that the demand for food this year has surpassed the imaginary "worst-case scenario" he always thought he'd be prepared for.

Driving much of the demand for food aid is the high level of unemployment in Hawai'i. The state reported yesterday that unemployment in March was 7.1 percent, its highest level in 30 years.

The increase in need has been swift among the more than 250 agencies, homeless shelters, soup kitchens and food pantries the Foodbank supports, said Lori Kaya, Foodbank grants and communications manager.

"Compared to last year, sometimes they are reporting double the number of people standing in their lines," she said. "They are seeing new faces, people who have never needed assistance before, and more people overall."

The majority of those hungry faces belong to children, Kaya said, based on the Hunger in Hawai'i Study conducted in 2006.

"Of the 131,000 people statewide we feed, the largest group — nearly 33,000 — is made up of children. Those are kids who come from low-income families."

The remaining faces belong to the elderly, the homeless, the disabled and the temporarily unemployed.

Last month, the Foodbank distributed 961,000 pounds of food, compared with 633,000 pounds in March 2008, Grimm said.

DONATIONS DOWN

Meanwhile, contributions from food wholesalers, manufacturers and growers — who traditionally donate nearly 40 percent of the Foodbank's annual food supply — are down 15 percent.

"To make that up, we had to go out and purchase food," said Grimm, who has headed the organization for nearly a decade.

"We have purchased 391 percent more food this year than we did the previous year."

Despite those daunting figures, Grimm and Kaya both believe the 20th annual Food Drive will succeed in meeting the agency's goal of 550,000 pounds of food and $450,000 in monetary donations. That's because they say one thing has not changed: the legendary generosity of the people in the Aloha State. That aloha attitude has been a main reason the Foodbank has been able to meet its goal over the past two years even as money was getting tighter, Grimm said.

And this is the day folks here will do it again, Grimm and Kaya said.

"What we are asking people is, when you see our fishnet volunteers, when you see our sign wavers, please wave, say hello, and give what you can," Kaya said.

To make that easier, nine major shopping centers from Wai'anae to Honolulu to Windward O'ahu are ready to accept dollars and canned goods on behalf of the Foodbank. Just look for the banners and sign wavers. Organizers most need canned meats or tuna, canned meals (such as spaghetti, chili and corned beef hash), as well as canned soups, fruits and vegetables.

If you don't happen to have a box of canned goods, an open wallet works as well. A $20 donation will feed one child for two weeks, according to Foodbank officials.

Today's drive is the biggest day of a food and money collection campaign that began in January. Although it is the culmination of the drive, Foodbank officials say they will be happy to accept food or money after today and throughout the year.