Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 30, Number 10, 1 October 2013 — Feeding the hungry on Hawaiʻi Island [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

Feeding the hungry on Hawaiʻi Island

By Karin Stanton Traditionally the holiday season is a time when food banks run short. This year likely won't be any different for the agency that feeds Hawai'i Island's hungry, said En Young, executive director of The Food Basket. "When you look at the poverty numbers, there's definitely an improvement in the economy," he said. "But the Big Island always lags behind the rest of the state and we're continuing to see an increase in the number of people utilizing our services. I don't expect that to change." The Food Basket splintered off from the Hawai'i FoodBank in 2007 and is one of five food banks across the state. The Food Basket has a $1 million budget to feed Hawai'i County's hungry. The latest figures available show the Food Basket serves more than 12,000 people annually, including more than 4,500 children. In total, 4,916 households across the island reach out for help in a year. "We are so grateful for all the donations of food and money, but

we always need volunteers. Our message is all about giving what you ean, contributing at whatever level you comfortable with. It will go to a really great cause," said Young, a Native Hawaiian who returned to his home island in early 2013, taking over as the Food Basket executive director following the November retirement of Nani Fee. Young previously worked in Honolulu at the state Office of Community Services, whieh is tasked with developing and managing programs for the needy, including feeding the hungry. He learned just how many people across the state need a little help putting food on the table. "It's a pretty basic need," he said. "And it's an easy cause to get behind." Although The Food Basket assists anyone in need, Young said Native Hawaiians represent a significant portion. "Native Hawaiians are definitely the largest group we serve," he said. "It's about 33 percent of our clients." Young said the number may be higher, as clients are asked to identify their ethnicity but are not

required to share it. "Native Hawaiians are over-rep-resented in so many social areas. The numbers are off-kilter, from low-ineome families to chronic diseases like diabetes," he said. "All those things are impacted and affected by your nutrition." Young pointed to a pair of innovative programs that reach two of the most vulnerable segments of the population - the youth and the elderly. Generally, Young said, it's the rural areas that need an extra boost, and Native Hawaiians tend to live in more rural areas. This year, at five island schools, 90 percent or more of the students qualify for free or reduced cost lunches. The national average was just less than 70 percent in 2012. "And for many of them, that's their only complete meal of the day," Young said. The haekpaek program helps fill the gaps. Children are given a backpaek, and on regularly scheduled days - for example, Fridays or the last school day before a holiday - The

Food Basket fills up backpacks with nutritional snacks and munchies. Seniors, meanwhile, get a boost from the community-supported agriculture program, in whieh residents buy shares from a farmer before a crop is planted and are guaranteed part of the harvest. This gives farmers some hnaneial stability, keeps the money in the loeal economy and encourages buying

loeal produce. The Food B asket spends $220,000 eaeh year supporting island farmers and handing out loeal produce to needy seniors. "It's a win-win, definitely. It's changing the way we feed ourselves," Young said. "For seniors, canned food is often cheaper and more convenient, so they don't get the nutrition they need that comes from fresh fruits and vegetables." Fresh produce historically has been a staple of the Native Hawaiian diet, Young said, and The Food Basket strives to respect cultural practices and offer traditional foods. "There are a lot of opportunities on the Big Island to integrate Native Hawaiian cultural practices," he said. "We can't do it all the time, but it's something we are constantly working toward." For more information, visit www. foodbaskethi.org. ■ Karin Stanton, a fortner reporter/ editor at West Hawai'i Today, worksfor the Associated Press and Hawai'i 24/7.

KAIĀULU C0MMUNITY

Food Basket driver Bernard Torres Sr., foreground, helps oul in the distribution line for the nonprofifs Senior Farmers Market Nutrition Program, whieh serves more than 1 ,500 seniors with fresh produce boughtfrom loeal farms under a model known as community supported agriculture. The program includes services to the homebound and those without transportation.

En Young, executive director of the Food Basket,

says teeding the hungry is "an easy rniKfi i

toget behind." - Courtesy photos