Shown here, from left, are Jon Takushi, sponsor Starwood Hotels and Resorts sales manager; Anabel Lindsey, Hawaiian Tel FCU vice president of operations; Dick Grimm, Hawaii Foodbank president; Polly Kauahi, Hawaii Foodbank director of development; Gohan Da Hawaii Rice Guy; Randall Okamoto, Hawaiian Tel FCU vice president of lending; and Kim Bartenstein, Hawaii Foodbank food drive manager.
Food banks in Hawaii got to “Have a Rice Day” when they were presented $39,771.51 – enough to buy 66,286 pounds of rice – after a fundraiser by 29 credit unions from Oahu, Big Island, Maui and Kauai. Each credit union held rice-themed events during the “Have a Rice Day” program, including lunches, samplings and rice cooker giveaways. Helping things along was Gohan Da Hawaii Rice Guy (gohan is a Japanese word for “rice”).
Each credit union gave away plastic rice paddles, imprinted with the credit union’s logo, to those who donated 20 pound bags of rice or cash equivalents.
The money received and the rice donations from the two-month effort were recently distributed to Hawaii Foodbank, Maui Food Bank, The Food Basket (Big Island) and Hawaii Foodbank – Kauai.
