KOHALA — Most people are familiar with back-to-school supply drives organized around the island each July with pencils, notebooks and whatnot collected for students in need as they prepare for the new school year. ADVERTISING KOHALA — Most people are
KOHALA — Most people are familiar with back-to-school supply drives organized around the island each July with pencils, notebooks and whatnot collected for students in need as they prepare for the new school year.
But an equally important demand is food on the table for those same students on days when school is not in session.
Through the generosity of a private donor, 181 Kohala Middle School (KMS) students — who might not otherwise have been so fortunate — had food to eat while on fall break last week.
KMS is the newest school on the island benefiting from We’ve Got Your Back, a program run by The Food Basket — Hawaii Island’s Food Bank.
“The first shipment was distributed on Oct. 5, right before the kids went on break,” Jamilia Epping said, the organization’s director of public relations and events.
The program runs during the duration of the nine-month school year, aiming to provide food for families monthly.
“We try to have each distribution occur before a break or long weekend,” Epping said. “They include kid-friendly food items that can be prepared by the youngsters like cups of mac and cheese, easy open top soups, boxed milk, oatmeal, fruit cups, juice and snacks. We also try our best to provide information and resources on where families can get help as often as possible.”
The program started on the Big Island in 2012 as a local modification to a national movement. Made possible by a $32,000 donation from Hawaii Island United Way, The Food Basket supplements the on-going grant with a second $30,000 annual grant from The Max and Yetta Karasik Family Foundation.
“Each of their dollars are further leveraged as The Food Basket supplements this with nutritious food from the Federal USDA’s Emergency Food Assistance Program,” En Young said, executive director of The Food Basket. “These three sources allow The Food Basket to serve the large number of kids now enrolled.”
More than a decade ago, social service workers started noticing that many children from lower and middle income families were getting most of their meals through their school.
“Even if parents could afford meals, many single-parent families and working class families would work throughout holidays that only applied to school children and school staff,” Epping said. “During teacher work days and institute days, children who did not have something they could prepare themselves would often skip meals. The Food Basket was encouraged by many in the community to start a keiki backpack program.”
Jo Ann Abiley, The Food Basket’s East Hawaii warehouse supervisor, spearheads the program with assistance in West Hawaii from Marshall Akamu, The Food Basket’s North and West Hawaii operations manager. Renee Bautista and Marley Rivera are co-coordinators at KMS who distribute the food to the students.
The community also pitches in. While The Food Basket packs the food for all schools, in North Hawaii Sacred Heart Hawi members supplement what is provided and delivers everything to KMS.
“We’re kind of the go-between. We have two ladies that deliver them,” said Lee Rivera, a Sacred Heart Food Basket co-coordinator who works with Lorraine Glory on the effort, along with other church volunteers.
The keiki backpack program provides take-home food to students islandwide. The Food Basket has many volunteers and service groups that assist in packing the backpacks such as HAAS students, Oceanic Time Warner Cable, Junior Achievement Students and Kamehameha Schools Interact Club, to name a few.
However there are sometimes obstacles.
“Department of Education (DOE) schools are constrained by inflexible rules and busy schedules,” Young said. “More needy children exist than we can serve, and there are tremendous labor and logistical challenges to make this program islandwide.”
However, he says the keiki backpacks effort has greatly improved over the past four years.
“When we started working with United Way we only had 380 students and now we’re up to 1,500,” Young said. “The program is a meeting of the minds, a collaboration with community-minded individuals and agencies who have come up with the ideas and solutions to meet the need.”
KMS is one of 10 schools who receive the food each month. Others include Kalanianaole, Mt. View Elementary, Keaukaha Elementary, Hilo Union Elementary, Pahoa Elementary, Laupahoehoe Elementary, Honaunau Elementary, Hookena Elementary and Pahala Elementary.
With an increased need in late December, The Food Basket also does a supplementary backpack outreach to schools not included in the program during the Christmas break in partnership with HIUW and KAPA radio. Waimea Elementary School participated last year, and all schools will be evaluated again in November.
Info: 933-6030 or visit hawaiifoodbasket.org
