The Food Basket

Nani Lee, J.D., Ph.D. – Executive Director

140-B Holomua Street

Hilo, HI   96720

Phone: (808) 933-6030

E-mail: nanilee.foodbasketHI@gmail.com

The mission of The Food Basket, Inc. is to feed the hungry in Hawaiʻi County while attending to the root causes of this critical social problem. The Food Basket will accomplish its mission by (1) preventing the waste of all edible food in Hawaii County; (2) feeding the hungry with this food; (3) educating the community about local hunger and what can be done to solve this social problem; and (4) collaborating with organizations of partnering missions to eradicate the root of hunger and other social ills.

Directly and immediately get nutritionally targeted meals into the hands of hungry children to meet their specific needs.

Provide supplementary food assistance to low income senior citizens at easily accessible sites.

During the holiday season, a little boy received a brand new bicycle at a fundraiser for The Food Basket. When presented with the gift, he was asked if he was excited to receive the bicycle. He said yes, but he wished that instead he had been given food for him and his family. Stories like this demonstrate the role hunger plays in the day to day lives of the youngest members of our community. These children are in a state of emergency and the impetus for The Food Basket to create a program focused solely on providing food to our keiki.

Every three weeks, The Food Basket, Inc. delivers a weeks’ worth of supplemental food to 16 Senior Brown Bag sites. The Seniors look forward not only to the delivery of the food that they really need and appreciate but also to the companionship they are able to share with each other and The Food Basket staff and volunteers. Without the supplemental food provided to them these seniors would have a difficult time attaining adequate nutritional food each month.