Walmart gives Food Basket $87K

Pictured from left to right are Toby Taniguchi, board member of The Food Basket and president and COO of KTA Super Stores; Rhea Lee-Moku, board chair of The Food Basket; Jose Padilla, assistant manager of Hilo Walmart; Neil Gyotoku, housing administrator for County of Hawaii; Mark Roberts, store manager of Hilo Walmart; Kristin Frost Albrecht, interim executive director of The Food Basket; Bernard Torres, Jr., warehouse supervisor and The Food Basket driver; Pastor Mathew Torres, Sr. In the front row, holding the presentation check from left to right, are Elvie Miguel, sales associate for Hilo Walmart; Susan Brown, sales associate for Hilo Walmart and Jessica Panui, assistant manager for Hilo Walmart. (Courtesy photo)

HILO — The Food Basket, Hawaii Island’s Food Bank, has received a $87,433 grant from the Walmart Foundation’s Hawaii State Giving Council to purchase a new refrigerated truck. Traditional Hawaiian blessing ceremonies for the new truck were held on Nov. 8 at Nani Mau Gardens in Hilo, with approximately 35 of The Food Basket’s agencies.