HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES	H.R. NO.	106
TWENTY-FIFTH LEGISLATURE, 2009
STATE OF HAWAII

HOUSE RESOLUTION

recognizING the hawaii food bank, richard grimm, president of the hawaii food bank, foodland, safeway, times SUPERMARKET, and chad buck FOR THEIR EXEMPLARY SERVICE TO THE PEOPLE OF HAWAII.

WHEREAS, the people of the State of Hawaii are proud to recognize those people and organizations who strive to end hunger in Hawaii; and

WHEREAS, founded by John White and continually operating for the past 25 years, the HAWAII FOOD BANK first opened its warehouse on Sand Island Access Road in 1983; and

WHEREAS, in its first year, the HAWAII FOOD BANK managed to distribute 380,000 pounds of food to 75 member agencies and has grown so much that it now distributes over 8.2 million pounds of food to over 250 charitable agencies; and

WHEREAS, today, the HAWAII FOOD BANK serves 131,862 people statewide, 32,965 of which are keikis, and 14,504 of which are kupunas; and

WHEREAS, the HAWAII FOOD BANK serves low-income families and individuals, the homeless, disabled, temporarily unemployed, and those unfortunate individuals and families who experience sudden emergencies; and

WHEREAS, opening its first store on May 6, 1948, and being a part of Hawaii's history for 61 years, FOODLAND is an integral member of the Hawaii Food Bank Food and Beverage Coalition to help fight hunger in Hawaii; and

WHEREAS, in 1915 the first SAFEWAY store was opened in New York and the name "SAFEWAY" was registered in 1930 with the New York stock market by M.B. Skaggs, who had the drive and determination to pursue the American dream, a dream that has resulted in SAFEWAY having over 1,000 stores in numerous communities across North America; and

WHEREAS, in an effort to give back to the communities they served, SAFEWAY established the Safeway Foundation in 2001 and SAFEWAY'S Check-Out Hunger Program which raises money for the HAWAII FOOD BANK by making the donation process easier for consumers and encouraging consumers to contribute a small donation in addition to their purchase; and

WHEREAS, established in 1949 by Albert and Wallace Teruya and holding the distinction of becoming the Food Bank's first partner in 1997, TIMES SUPERMARKET is one of the leading supermarket operations in Hawaii with 12 supermarket locations across the islands and is also known for its outstanding customer service and its generous donations to the HAWAII FOOD BANK; and

WHEREAS, CHAD BUCK, owner of the Hawaii Food Alliance, an outstanding advocate for humanity, has been recognized as the largest individual donor to the Hawaii Food Bank by donating over 200,000 pounds of food for the needy in Hawaii since 2002; and

WHEREAS, the HAWAII FOOD BANK is constantly looking for ways to attract new donors and new participants in the community to support their charitable mission; and

WHEREAS, in these difficult economic times, the donations of individuals and corporations are needed the most; and

WHEREAS, FOODLAND, SAFEWAY, TIMES SUPERMARKET, and CHAD BUCK are top donors to the HAWAII FOOD BANK and made significant contributions in addressing hunger in Hawaii; and

WHEREAS, RICHARD GRIMM, the President of the HAWAII FOOD BANK, is striving to further expand the organization by increasing its goals to increase the desired amount of food collected to 10 million pounds for fiscal year 2009; and

WHEREAS, through his sensible and extraordinary leadership and commitment to the HAWAII FOOD BANK, RICHARD GRIMM has managed to effectively address the hunger problem in Hawaii in these trying economic times by distributing food to large segments of Hawaii's population; now, therefore,

     BE IT RESOLVED by the House of Representatives of the Twenty-fifth Legislature of the State of Hawaii, Regular Session of 2009, that this body hereby recognizes and commends the hard work, dedication, and compassion of the HAWAII FOOD BANK, for its exceptional work and community service to the people of Hawaii, and commends its president, RICHARD GRIMM, and its major contributors, FOODLAND, SAFEWAY, TIMES SUPERMARKET, and CHAD BUCK and extends to them its warmest aloha and sincere best wishes for continued success in all future endeavors.

OFFERED BY:

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Report Title: 

Recognizing the Hawaii Food Bank and its donors.