The Maui Food Bank is making a difference

MAUI, Hawaii (KHON2) — The Maui Food Bank was set up to help the hungry in Maui County. They do this by collecting and distributing food through their community partnerships.

Thus far, MFB has distributed over 3.25 million pounds of safe, nutritious food each year’ this includes 900,000 pounds of fresh produce.

“The Maui Food Bank is Maui County’s primary safety net for hunger relief” according to their website.

They have provided safe and nutritious food to anyone in Maui County who is at risk of going hungry. Of those served, MFB said that 40% of the people they serve are children and youth.

MFB works with more than 100 distribution partners and programs to distribute safe and nutritious food to individuals, families, kids, the working poor, seniors on fixed incomes, the homeless and anyone who needs the help.

Their operations expand into areas that include people in need living in the rural communities of Hana, Molokaʻi and Lanaʻi.

MFB was incorporated as a non-profit in 1994 and has continuously and consistently expanded food banking services for the residences of Maui County.

“The Maui Food Bank is the only nonprofit in Maui County that collects, warehouses and distributes mass quantities of perishable and nonperishable food items to those in need,” according to its website.

Maui Food Bank maintains 14 full-time and part-time staff members along with volunteers who contribute significantly to warehouse operations by inspecting, sorting and shelving donated food.

“Running a food bank operation is a labor-intensive endeavor,” said the MFB website. “We collect food on a daily basis from all over the island; most of it is donated, and the rest is purchased at wholesale prices or less. During the year we also ship from the mainland 8 containers of safe and nutritious food to Maui.”

Everything that is brought into MFB goes through an intake inspection process. Once this is complete, these items are then sanitized, inventoried and stored until it can be distributed.

MFB is making a big difference in the lives of those on Maui, Molokaʻi and Lanaʻi, especially since the wildland fires that ravaged Maui Island in August.