We’re excited to announce that Maui Food Bank was voted “Best Nonprofit” in the Maui News Best of Maui 2019! A big mahalo to the Maui community for this honor, and for your continued support!
Their feature on the Maui Food Bank included a great article about our Fresh-4-All program.
Best Nonprofit: Maui Food Bank
“The Maui Food Bank has long been the established leader in providing food for those suffering the effects of hunger in Maui County. Up until 2009, most of the food donations coming into the Food Bank were in the form of canned or packaged goods.
Recognizing the need for improved nutrition fo Maui’s food-challenged population, the Maui Food Bank initiated a program to procure and provide fresh fruits and vegetables for those in need of hunger relief. Dubbed “Fresh-4-All,” this program was originally developed through a partnership with the Maui Farm Bureau, and Kaiser Permanente. Kaiser generously provided an initial grant of $50,000 to launch the program in 2009.
“Now ten years into the program, it can emphatically be stated that Fresh-4-All is truly a program that benefits the hungry.”
The Maui Food Bank is more effectively promoting healthier food options for Maui County’s working poor, low-income families, seniors on fixed incomes, children, youth, and the homeless population.
Farmers on Maui and Molokai benefit from having a new market for their produce. This enables them to offer the Food Bank quality fresh produce at significant discounts. Specific fresh produce such as apples, potatoes, onions, carrots, and oranges are purchased and brought in from the mainland.
Of course, Maui County’s food insecure benefit greatly because of having access to healthy foods that they otherwise couldn’t afford. This helps close the “nutrition gap” that so frequently impacts the most vulnerable members of our community.
The Maui Food Bank plays an integral role in the efficient distribution of these perishable goods to those who need them most. Indeed, the Fresh-4-All program has grown to distribute over 600,000 pounds of fresh produce per year. This makes a huge positive difference in the health of those who are served by the Food Bank county-wide.”
— Source: The Maui News “Best of Maui 2019,” August 31, 2019
Download the full Maui News article here