Grant will provide 18,900 bags of food for students-in-need during 2016-17 school year 

HONOLULU – Students at Princess Ka‘iulani Elementary School in Kalihi won’t have to worry about where they will get their weekend meals from thanks to a $60,000 grant presented to the Hawaii Foodbank from the Walmart Foundation. The grant will support the foodbank’s Food 4 Keiki Program for the 2016-17 school year at Ka‘iulani Elementary. Each Friday, all students will receive bags of nutritious and easy-to-prepare foods to take home on weekends when school meals are not available.

“The Walmart Foundation Hawaii State Giving Council grant will help purchase and deliver approximately 18,900 bags of food that will bring smiles to the faces of some our most valuable resources, the keiki of Hawaii,” said Gerald Shintaku, president and CEO of Hawaii Foodbank. “We truly appreciate Walmart’s continued support to fight hunger here in Hawaii.”

“No one, especially elementary school students, should have to worry about where their next meal is coming from,” said Steven Reed, Hawaii market manager for Walmart. “On behalf of our more than 4,000 Hawaii associates, it’s our honor to collaborate with the Hawaii Foodbank and sustain this important community program in the fight against hunger.”

“We appreciate the partnership with the Hawaii Foodbank and the Kamehameha Lions Club and the support of the Walmart Foundation to bring these supplemental foods to sustain all of our students over the weekends,” said Jill Puletasi, principal of Princess Ka‘iulani Elementary School. “During the 2015-16 school year, 92 percent of our students qualified for free or reduced-price lunches and 13 percent were homeless.”

“Our children’s well-being is always in the forefront,” said Senator Suzanne Chun Oakland. “The great partnership Ka‘iulani Elementary School has with Walmart and Hawaii Food Bank is commendable.”

“Thanks to the collaboration between Hawaii Foodbank, Walmart and Princess Ka‘iulani Elementary School, approximately 400 students will have food to take home once a week throughout the school year,” said Honolulu City Councilmember Joey Manahan. “The $60,000 donation from Walmart will go a long way to help a lot of children whose only opportunity to get a meal is by coming to school.”

The Walmart Foundation’s State Giving Program supports organizations that create opportunities so people can live better, awarding grants that have a long-lasting, positive impact on communities across the U.S. To be considered for support, prospective grantee organizations must submit applications through the Walmart Foundation State Giving Program’s online grant application. Applicants must have a current 501(c)(3) tax-exempt status in order to meet the program’s minimum eligibility criteria. Additional information about the program’s funding guidelines and application process are available online at www.walmartfoundation.org/stategiving.

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