NEWS RELEASE

First Hawaiian Bank Donates $40,000 to Child and Family Service and Maui County Farm Bureau as Part of its “Aloha for Hawaii” Campaign

The recipient non-profits of the $1 million in donations campaign have used the funds to purchase and distribute 678,954 pounds of food and provide meals and services to more than 2,500 Hawaii families  

HONOLULU, August 14, 2020 – First Hawaiian Bank (FHB) today announced that the “Aloha for Hawaii” campaign has donated $40,000 to Hawaii non-profits Child and Family Service (CFS) and Maui County Farm Bureau as part of the fund’s $1 million donation to Hawaii, Guam and Saipan non-profits providing food supply and health and human service assistance to people impacted by COVID-19. The “Aloha for Hawaii” initiative, established as a special program to support local restaurants while at the same time provide critical funds to non-profit organizations that support those most at risk during this time, generated one million restaurant takeout or delivery orders and in turn donated $1 million to nonprofits.

Child and Family Service received $25,000 and will use the funds to continue to provide much-needed services to families in need during this pandemic. The gift will also contribute to the production of Ho’o Wala’au playing cards, which are distributed to each family at Festival of Hope events and contain questions for children and parents that help encourage family bonding, relationship growth, and understanding.   

"We are so grateful to have FHB as such a strong supporter of the work we do in the community," said CFS President and CEO, Karen Tan. "The initial gift from the 'Aloha for Hawaii' fund allowed us to pilot a new model of outreach and care with the Festival of Hope for Families. This event was such a success, serving more than 2,500 individuals, that it inspired several more pop-up events across the state to reach the communities most in need. These drive-thru events reach families with not only resources, but with services and support that are necessary to help people cope during this time. This additional $25,000 investment from FHB means that CFS can remain accessible to those who need care statewide, and a portion of this gift will help produce a ‘Family Talk Story Card Game’ which is designed to help families communicate in new and fun ways."

To date, the Festival of Hope for Hawaii events have provided more than 2,500 Hawaii families in need with groceries, chef-prepared meals, PPE items, and fun activities during the pandemic crisis. The Maui County Farm Bureau received $15,000 and is using the funds to extend their Food Product Purchase Program (FPPP), an initiative to purchase produce from local farms and distribute to those in the community affected by the pandemic. The program has purchased and distributed 678,954 pounds of food to date and works with 22 Maui farms. “On behalf of the Maui County Farm Bureau board of directors and our members, we sincerely thank the First Hawaiian Bank Foundation for their generous donation," said Warren K. Watanabe, executive director, Maui County Farm Bureau. "We appreciate being able to partner with the Foundation's ‘Aloha for Hawaii’ campaign demonstrating how we all can work together for the betterment of the community.""We are so grateful for First Hawaiian Bank Foundation’s generous donation to the Maui County Farm Bureau. This is truly one of the most difficult times to be farming,” said Teena Rasmussen, board president, Maui County Farm Bureau. "This gesture has been a morale boost to our farmers who have continued to plant to feed our community. Donations like this keep our farmers in business. Our heartfelt thanks to First Hawaiian."Running from April 13 through June 7, the “Aloha for Hawaii” campaign delivered widespread impact across our community and touched people in a variety of ways:

  • 536,000 people received assistance
  • 354,000 meals were provided 
  • 8,700 people received health and human services support 

The “Aloha for Hawaii” Fund also contributed to the following non-profits as part of this initiative:

  • Aloha Harvest
  • Blood Bank of Hawaii
  • Feeding Hawaii Together
  • Hawaii Foodbank
  • Hawaii Meals on Wheels
  • Kauai Independent Food Bank
  • Maui Food Bank
  • The Food Basket - Hawaii Island’s Food Bank
  • The Henry Kapono Foundation
  • The Institute for Human Services
  • Salvation Army Guam
  • Todu Guam
  • Empty Vessel Ministry Foundation (Saipan)
  • Karidat Social Services (Saipan)

Restaurant takeout or delivery purchases made by FHB credit or debit card customers were counted for the campaign. It was anticipated that it would take three months to reach the one million take out purchase goal. With FHB’s cardholder support, the bank reached its goal in just eight weeks, which led to $1 million donated to the “Aloha for Hawaii” Fund plus an additional $25,000 from the Motiv8 Foundation. For more information visit fhb.com/aloha.

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