MEDIA RELEASE

With new evacuations, need grows for additional large volume meal donations from restaurants and certified kitchens; volunteers also needed at The Salvation Army’s thrift stores on Hawaii Island to help sort donations with the launch of a new voucher program for residents impacted by lava flow

Hilo, Hawaii, HI [May 8, 2018] – Emergency Disaster Services [EDS] personnel and volunteers from The Salvation Army are responding to the current lava flow in Leilani Estates with meal service, hydration, and emotional and spiritual care at the shelters in Pahoa.

With today’s additional evacuation in the Lanipuna area of Leilani Estates, the need has grown for additional large volume meal donations from local restaurants and certified kitchens [due to health safety food preparation standards] for meal service at shelters. To donate large volume meals, local restaurants and certified kitchens may contact The Salvation Army at (808) 756-0306. Please note, smaller, home-prepared foods and meals, cannot be accepted for meal service at shelters due to health safety food preparation standards.

In addition, volunteers are needed to help sort through expected clothing donations at The Salvation Army’s thrift stores in Honokaa, Hilo and Kailua-Kona. For additional details and to sign up to volunteer, visit hawaii.salvationarmy.org and click on the “volunteer” option button on the main page. Current volunteer opportunities can be viewed by entering a local zip code by island.

“Starting Thursday, our Hawaii Island thrift stores will begin accepting in-kind donations of clothing that will benefit those impacted by the current Puna lava flow,” said Lt. Micheal Stack, Emergency Disaster Services Coordinator for The Salvation Army – Hawaiian & Pacific Islands Division. “Clothing voucher recipients will be able to select any clothing items they need at our thrift stores using the vouchers being offered this week in Pahoa at the Recovery Information Assistance Center [RIAC] in Pahoa at Sacred Heart Church and any future disaster RIACs that are established.”

We’re also pleased to announced the following contributions to The Salvation Army’s EDS efforts in Hawaii:

• Central Pacific Bank Foundation – $20,000
• Enterprise, Alamo & National Car Rental Hawaii – $5,000
• Hawaiian Airlines – $50,000

Previous partnerships have been announced including:

• First Hawaiian Bank – Aloha for Hawaii Fund to support The Salvation Army’s relief efforts for the Kilauea Volcano Eruption on the Big Island and recovery efforts for flooding on Kauai and in East Oahu. Donations can now be made at any of First Hawaiian Bank’s 61 branches located in Hawaii, Guam and Saipan.
• Foodland – “Aloha for Puna & Pahoa” Disaster Relief (The Salvation Army). Customers will be able to make monetary donations at all Foodland and Sack N Save stores in Hawaii in $5, $10 or $20 amounts beginning May 9. Donations will go towards The Salvation Army’s EDS efforts.
• HiLife – Kokua Collection – A percentage of the proceeds from various HiLife clothing items in their Kokua Collection will be donated to Salvation Army Hawaiian and Pacific Islands division to assist with their relief efforts to victims of recent devastating floods on O’ahu and Kauai as well as erupting volcano on Hawaii island. For details, visit https://hilifehawaii.com/collections/kokua

During emergencies, the best way the public can help is to provide monetary donations which allows the delivery of the exact relief supplies a community needs. Plus, The Salvation Army uses one-hundred percent of all donations designated ‘disaster relief’ in support of disaster operations.”

Those wishing to donate food and bottled water should contact Food Basket, Hawaii Island’s Food Bank. They are located at 40 Holomua St. in Hilo and 73-4161 Uluwini Pl. in Kailua-Kona or call (808) 933-6030.

The public is encouraged to support the emergency disaster services efforts via monetary donations at www.hawaii.salvationarmy.org. One-hundred percent of the donated funds will support The Salvation Army’s emergency disaster services in Hawaii.