For Thanksgiving on Maui, its all hands on deck to feed those in need | News, Sports, Jobs

Posted by Noelle Montes on Saturday, May 4, 2024

Sue Simpson (from left) of Kentucky, Kristin Flo of Honokowai and sisters Nancy Pasic and Wendy Abe of Washington state load up plates of turkey, potatoes, stuffing and green beans during a LahainaTown Action Committee’s annual Thanksgiving luncheon held on Nov. 22, 2018 at King Kamehameha III Elementary School. The Maui News / COLLEEN UECHI photo

Natsumi Moore knew right away that she wanted her school project to focus on helping those less fortunate. 

This holiday season, the Kihei Charter High School student has been volunteering at Ka Hale A Ke Ola Homeless Resource Centers’ shelter for her senior project called “Keiki Care,” where she has the goal to collect items for donation, like clothes and toys, as well as raise $350 or more this week to buy a Thanksgiving dinner for at least five families in need. 

All money raised through GoFundMe at gofund.me/0a17dee7 will benefit Ka Hale A Ke Ola, which serves the needs of the homeless community and hungry folks on Maui by providing emergency shelter, food, housing and other necessities. 

“I’ve lived in Kihei all my life, so I’ve seen the homeless population grow quite a bit, so that inspired me and I just know it’s a big issue on Maui,” said Moore on Sunday afternoon.

Her original school project was geared toward children, collecting diapers and baby wipes for the shelter because those items are in high demand there, she said. However, she has also gathered clothes, blankets and comforters, toys, backpacks and canned goods for families staying at the shelter. 

“I’ve just been reaching out to the shelter and seeing what they need and then reaching out to people collecting a whole bunch of donations,” said Moore. 

With Thanksgiving in a few days, she had the last-second idea to raise funds for traditional fixings for families, noting that the average cost for a Thanksgiving meal ranges between $60 to $70.  

Between school and volunteering, she also works part time at Starbucks in Wailuku and has plans to attend Grand Canyon University in the fall where she will study pre-medicine. 

With a passion for lending a helping hand, Moore knew right away in August that she wanted the basis of her senior project to focus on supporting those less fortunate on Maui. 

“Maybe it’s because I’m a local here and I know how hard it is to afford to live on Maui and everything is getting super expensive and it’s something that my family has also struggled with, you know, just covering rent — it’s so expensive — so maybe it’s something that I can relate to just a little bit and I can help other people who have it worse than I do,” she said. “I just wanted to do something where I can personally understand and can put myself in someone’s shoes.” 

For more information or to coordinate other items for donation, email natsumi3205@gmail.com. 

Hale Kau Kau

With Thanksgiving coming up on Thursday, others on Maui are also looking to give back to the community. 

To continue the mission of “feeding the hungry with compassion and aloha,” Hale Kau Kau Program Director Shawn Michelle Wallen said last week that all are welcome to eat a free traditional Thanksgiving meal at St. Theresa Church from 12 to 2 p.m. on Thursday. 

The annual feast usually draws hundreds of people, including families in need, kupuna and the unsheltered to the Stawasz Hall, which is located at 25 W. Lipoa Street, Kihei. 

“We are preparing food for 300-plus meals,” said Wallen, adding that 37 volunteers are currently signed up to help prep and pass out dishes.  

Maui Food Bank 

Meanwhile, a $25 donation to the Maui Food Bank can feed a family of four with a Holiday Meal Box, which includes a traditional menu of turkey, canned ham, cranberry sauce, stuffing, yams, macaroni and cheese, corn, peaches, carrots, instant mashed potatoes, apple sauce and green beans. 

A recent study commissioned by the state Department of Health revealed that people living in Maui County are at serious risk for having one of the highest rates of food insecurity in the state, according to the food bank. 

Of those who benefit from the Maui Food Bank, 65 percent have an income below the official poverty guidelines and 37 percent are working households. Nearly 50 percent of the people the food bank serves are single moms. The study also shows one in five children in Maui County is currently at risk of going hungry, which is a 62 percent increase in the last decade.  

Lahaina town Thanksgiving 

The tradition of feeding the needy in West Maui on Thanksgiving Day continues this week with the support of the LahainaTown Action Committee as well as local businesses and community members.

From 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Wednesday, the public can stop by the Lahaina Baptist Church parking lot at 520 Waine’e Street for food and supplies. 

“Now more than ever, the need in our community is great,” the committee said in a Facebook post. “With your help we can continue the giving spirit of this annual event.” 

Due to COVID-19 in 2020, the event was modified to meet health and safety protocols, such as hosting the feast outdoors, and that will continue again this year. 

A $25 donation will provide a takeout, chef-prepared Thanksgiving meal as well as a backpack, T-shirt, slippers and other necessities. The committee will collaborate with community partners to deliver the gifts directly. 

Monetary donations can be made online at bit.ly/lkokua or mailed to the LahainaTown Action Committee at P.O. Box 1663 Lahaina, HI 96767.

Salvation Army 

The Salvation Army also will be providing more than 6,000 Thanksgiving holiday meals across Hawaii throughout November leading up to Thanksgiving Day through annual meal and food outreach events at locations statewide. 

On Maui, Lahaina Lighthouse Corps and local congregations will provide home-delivered Thanksgiving lunches to 300 kupuna in West Maui on Tuesday. Also, a “grab-n-go” distribution will be available for those in need at 131 Shaw Street from noon to 2 p.m. Tuesday, while supplies last.

For more information, call The Salvation Army Lahaina Lighthouse Corps at (808) 661-5335, ext. 4. 

Last week, The Salvation Army Kahului Corps, the University of Hawaii Maui College Culinary Arts Program Coordinator Chef Craig Omori and the Umeke Ka’eo Gastronomy Club provided around 600 Thanksgiving meals to community members.

“It went great. We had a really good turn out, and of course, the food was always the highlight of the event,” Capt. Steven Howard said Sunday. “They do a fabulous job with the food. People were just very grateful and we were just happy to have an event where people with diverse backgrounds could come together to share a meal.”

For the first time since the pandemic, the Hunger and Homeless Resource Fair coincided with the Thanksgiving meal distribution in the college parking lot. The event featured 27 care providers, nonprofits and government agencies offering free resources and services, Howard said. 

To help The Salvation Army continue holiday outreach, Foodland and Sack N Save customers can make donations at checkout for the “Share a Holiday Feast” program through Dec. 31 for those who need it most, or support the organization at ThanksgivingHawaii.org. 

Customers may donate cash, change or use Maika’i points to help. Those donations will be turned into Foodland gift certificates and distributed by The Salvation Army to families in need on each island where the donations were received, according to a news release.  

Pukalani Nazarene 

 Upcountry, one local church is continuing an over 20-year tradition of cooking turkeys in a Thanksgiving imu. Pukalani Community Church of The Nazarene plans to cook between 300-500 items, including turkey, pork, lamb, chicken, lau lau, kalo and vegetables, for local families, a spokesperson said. 

Everyone is welcome to the free event. 

“The event is intended to bless our community, bring people together from all walks of life, celebrate all that we can be thankful for, provide a cultural way of cooking food, and support positive and memorable experiences for people of all ages,” the spokesperson said.

Folks can drop off their food and preparations anytime between 4 and 6 p.m. Wednesday at the church, which is located at 211 Hiwalani Loop. At 6 p.m. they will begin to cover the imu and have time to eat spaghetti, juice and water provided by the church. Participants are also welcome to bring food items to share or for themselves if they would like to.

Imu pick-ups will be between 10 and 11 a.m. on Thanksgiving Day. 

All meat must be thawed prior to dropping off items for the imu and prepared as it would be for an oven, such as with marinades and dry rubs. 

All items must be placed in a pan, then wrapped in foil and secured with wire, duck tape and so forth; maximum weight per item is 25 pounds; there should be no stuffing inside the meat; and all food items should be labeled. 

The church also is looking for volunteers to help with the imu this week. Anyone interested can call the office at (808) 572-5040 or send an email to pukanaz@outlook.com.

Donations are also accepted to help cover the costs of the imu event as well as the “Compassion Ministry,” which provides food, hygiene items and other important items to families in need, families living in temporary shelters and houseless families/individuals.

* Dakota Grossman can be reached at dgrossman@mauinews.com.

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