UH to Participate in Annual Hawaii Foodbank Drive

System-wide activities to include t-shirt sales, canned goods collection and promotions at upcoming athletics events

The University of Hawaiʻi will participate in the 14th Annual Hawaiʻi Foodbank Drive, kicking off on Monday, April 7, and running through Thursday, April 17. The annual Foodbank Drive culminates with a statewide collection event scheduled for Saturday, April 19, with collection sites open at various locations across the state.

UH has been a proud participant in the Hawaiʻi Foodbank Drive for many years, with faculty, staff and students on all 10 campuses contributing to the university‘s successful efforts each year. This year, the university hopes for the same participation from the UH community and hopes collection efforts surpass last year‘s numbers. Last year, the UH community collected an estimated $27,250 and 3,000 pounds of food within a two-week period.

Several activities are scheduled to help ensure another successful UH Foodbank Drive. T-shirts promoting the Hawaiʻi Foodbank and the fight against hunger will be sold on campuses with $5 for every T-shirt sold to be donated to the Foodbank fund. Staff, faculty and students are encouraged to donate money or canned goods to the statewide effort. The university and Sodexho, UH‘s on-campus catering service, are also combining forces to promote the Foodbank Drive at selected athletics events as Sodexho will donate a portion of the money for every hot dog sold to the Hawaiʻi Foodbank.

The Hawaiʻi Foodbank provides food through various agencies to 118,000 different individuals each week, of which 43,000 are children and 17,000 are over the age of 65. This year, the organization lists its five most-wanted food items as canned meats or tuna, meals, soups, vegetables and fruits, and beans. Monetary donations are also welcome. For every $10 donated, the Hawaiʻi Foodbank is able to distribute enough food to provide 100 meals to those who need it most.

On April 19, designated collection sites will accept valuable canned goods and funds from the public to not only support the Hawaiʻi Foodbank mission of "Helping to Feed Hawaiʻi‘s Hungry," but also to raise awareness of hunger in Hawaiʻi. The collection sites open on Oʻahu on April 19 will include Restaurant Row, Koko Marina Center, Town Center of Mililani, McCully Shopping Center, Pearl City Shopping Center, Waianae Mall Shopping Center, Windward City Shopping Center, and Waiokeola Congregational Church in Kāhala. There will also be collection sites at various military and neighbor island locations.

For more information about the 2003 Hawaiʻi Foodbank Drive, call (808) 836-3600.