Beginning Monday, June 17, Vibrant Hawaiʻi launched the 2024 Kaukau 4 Keiki Program, serving as the Sponsor Agency for the USDA Summer Food Service Program, for the County of Hawaiʻi. In partnership with 33 sites islandwide, this program distributes breakfast and lunch food supplies to an estimated 5,000 keiki over the six weeks of summer.
In celebration of completing our first half of the program, we would like to share some voices of impact from our site leads:
“We were able to distribute all 100 bags, 94 from the registration and 6 from our wait-list. The most amazing support came from HFA and Hilo Products Inc. Our bulk food deliveries kicked it off on time, organized, and with the friendliest drivers. From there, it was a domino effect of efficiency.” - Lei Luiz, Solid Rock East Hawaiʻi
“This was our first time being a distribution site. We had a grandmother come to pick up her food. She thought she was getting only a plate lunch. When she realized how much food she was getting, she started to cry and thanked us for such a wonderful blessing.” - Julie Kron, Fern Acres Resilience Hub
“I am so proud of our campus and Hilo community! We have had an outpouring of kōkua to help pack and load 900 bags at UHH. It has been amazing to see everyone come together to make it all happen - from unloading pallets, counting packets of oatmeal, breaking down boxes, moving produce boxes, directing traffic and opening and closing trucks during distribution!” - Kalehua Kukahiko, University of Hawaiʻi at Hilo.
“Arts & Sciences Center, home of HAAS PCS in Pahoa, distributed food to 100 students in our Puna community for the first of 6 weeks. The gratitude radiated all day! We had adult and student volunteers unloading the delivery trucks, packing bags, learning about 'quality control' to check and re-check to share the resources. An 8th grade student managed the clipboard for checking IDs and getting signatures so efficiently, we were all impressed!” - Gail Clarke, Arts & Sciences Center
Kaukau 4 Keiki brings communities closer together, not only by providing food for the table but also by encouraging contributions to the table. In this season of aloha, community members are urged to volunteer, and become part of driving the force that inspires change.
We would like to give a special mahalo to our partners: Hawaiʻi Foodservice Alliance, Hilo Products Inc., Hawaiʻi Child Nutrition Programs, KTA Superstores, and Kohala Food Hub for making this program possible.
If you would like to become a volunteer for our program, please email contact@vibranthawaii.org.
For more information, visit https://www.vibranthawaii.org/kaukau4keiki
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