Aloha Harvest: Hawaii organizations continue to give during tough times

HONOLULU—Despite tough economic conditions, four Hawaii organizations have awarded three grants totaling $35,000 to the non-profit organization Aloha Harvest to continue its mission of gathering quality, donated food and delivering it free of charge to social service agencies that feed Hawaii’s hungry. The organizations include First Hawaiian Bank Foundation, the Harry & Jeanette Weinberg Foundation, the Friends of Hawaii Charities, Inc., and the Tommy Holmes Foundation Fund at the Hawaii Community Foundation.

“We appreciate the invaluable services Aloha Harvest provides to the community,” said the president of First Hawaiian Bank Foundation, Sharon Shiroma Brown. The foundation demonstrated its appreciation with a $20,000 capacity building grant for the second year in a row to Aloha Harvest.

In partnership with the Sony Open, the Harry & Jeanette Weinberg Foundation, and the Friends of Hawaii Charities, Inc. awarded Aloha Harvest $10,000. On behalf of the grantors, Corbett A. K. Kalama, president and chair of the Grants Committee, expressed thanks for “the work that Aloha Harvest does in our island home.”

The remaining $5,000 was provided by the Tommy Holmes Foundation Fund at the Hawaii Community Foundation in the form of an unrestricted grant.

“In a time when many non-profits are struggling to keep the lights on, we are truly grateful for our partnerships with Hawaii organizations as it enables us to sustain our operational objectives of feeding the hungry, needy, and homeless,” said Aloha Harvest executive director Kuulei Williams. “The generosity of First Hawaiian Bank Foundation, the Harry & Jeanette Weinberg Foundation, the Friends of Hawaii Charities, the Hawaii Community Foundation, and countless others allows us to continue to address hunger in our local communities,” added Williams.

“I have been with Aloha Harvest for 10 years, and these last two have been our most successful in terms of grants received,” said Aloha Harvest board president, Robert Harrison. “Aloha Harvest exists because there are still many people in need of food. We are grateful for every dollar received because that means fewer people will go hungry,” he added. Harrison is also president and CEO of First Hawaiian Bank.

Aloha Harvest serves over 142 social service agencies, helping to meet the needs of the hungry—men, women, and children all over Oahu from Waianae to Waimanalo. Since its inception, Aloha Harvest has delivered nearly 6 million pounds of food to local social service agencies.

For more information about Aloha Harvest, visit www.alohaharvest.org.