Over the past year, the Hawai'i Foodbank has noticed that it is serving more of its 131,862 clients more often.

With soaring housing costs and gas prices outpacing pay raises, many are finding their paychecks or monthly supply of foodstamps doesn't go as far, said Polly Kauahi, the Foodbank's director of development.

Previously, most clients would come to Foodbank distribution sites once near the end of the month.

"Now we see them having to come earlier in the mouth because they're not able to stretch their resources as much as they used to," she said.

The Foodbank is making it easy to feed the hungry during its annual food drive tomorrow. The goal is to collect 550,000 pounds of nutritious food and $450,000 in monetary donations.

The food drive has already had an early boost from organizations that started their collections early.

Foodland and Sack N' Save have already helped raise more than $12,000 toward the Foodbank's $450,000 goal.

On Tuesday, 2,188 people donated cash or canned goods in return for a Ben and Jerry's ice cream cone.

The Department of Labor and Industrial Relations has been building towers out of cans of tuna and vienna sausage — two of the most needed food items.

Until tomorrow, King Windward Nissan will donate a portion of every new-car sale to the Foodbank, and Kozo Sushi at Windward City Shopping Center's is displaying a paper can for every dollar donation it receives.

Kauahi said the Foodbank doesn't get a lot of funding or grants, so it relies heavily on the community to help.

"The community is always generous," she said. "We are always saying thank-you."

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