Extra Helpings for All: No One Goes Hungry as Island Restaurants and People Pull Together
By Fern Gavelek
An old Hawaiian proverb goes: O ke aloha ke kuleana o kahi malihini—”Love is the host in strange lands.”
The saying is given a profound explanation in A Little Book of Aloha, Hawaiian Proverbs and Inspirational Wisdom: “In Hawai‘i, you are always considered a guest. Just as in ancient times, every person should be greeted and offered food, whether a friend or total stranger. This practice of always being a generous host or helping those in need stems from a mythical belief. It has long been said that when strangers come to you for help, you must welcome them as if they were gods…for you never know when they are actually gods visiting you in human form.”
Big Island residents looking for a hot meal or some friendly companionship will be welcome this holiday season islandwide at Thanksgiving meals and community Christmas parties. The free holiday meals are provided through the generosity of restaurants and hotel kitchens, service organizations and a corps of volunteers who have made feeding the hungry part of their holiday tradition.
In Kona, Jackie Rey’s Ohana Grill closes on Thanksgiving to serve as the headquarters for feeding the homeless and hungry. In its third year of hosting free Thanksgiving dinners, the Pottery Terrace gathering spot provides a hot turkey dinner from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. for about 300 people. It also partners with the Kona Salvation Army to prepare about 300 meals that are delivered by volunteer drivers to Kona shut-ins.
Anna Schmitt, Jackie Rey’s dining room manager, oversees the Thanksgiving festivities. “We ask our regular patrons to donate cooked turkeys and last year we got 40, plus cash donations,” she says. “The Salvation Army brings in about 25 turkeys.”
According to Lt. Kelly Pensabene of the Salvation Army, those 20-some turkeys are cooked at Bubba Gump’s, Tante’s and hotel kitchens at the Keauhou Beach Resort, Sheraton Keauhou Bay Resort and King Kamehameha’s Kona Beach Hotel.
“It’s so awesome the way the community pulls together to do this,” says Lt. Pensabene. “It’s very organized and a real class act.”
Planning for the Thanksgiving dinner takes a couple months. It addition to soliciting for turkeys, Schmitt organizes teams of community volunteers to act as ”prep chefs;” they come in to chop ingredients and prepare the meal’s fixin’s—stuffing, gravy, mashed potatoes, corn, yams and cranberry sauce. Some of the ingredients are donated. Last year, Cal-Kona Produce brought in 500 pounds of fresh produce while Costco and KTA contributed rolls and pies. McDonalds provided dinnerware packets for the delivered meals while the Royal Kona Resort donated beverages.
In an effort to give the homeless a “pleasurable, restaurant experience,” donated flowers brighten tables, a live trio serenades diners, and volunteer servers refill drinks, including steaming cups of 100-percent Kona coffee.
“It’s a very rewarding experience to be part of this at Thanksgiving,” notes Anna. “We treat all the guests with dignity. You can see the gratitude in their eyes.”
The Kona Salvation Army is also involved with providing a whopping 800 to 1,000 Thanksgiving meals to shut-ins stretching from South Kohala to Pa‘auilo. Lt. Pensabene says food for this “outpost” route is donated and prepared by six Kohala Coast hotels: the Four Seasons Resort Hualalai, the Waikoloa Beach Marriott, the Hilton Waikoloa Village, the Mauna Lani Bay Hotel and Bungalows, the Fairmont Orchid, Hawai‘i and the Mauna Kea Beach. In addition, Roy’s Waikoloa Bar & Grill gets in on the food drive.
“All of Roy’s Restaurants donate to the community during the holidays and we usually mix it up each year and do something different,” details Roy’s Waikoloa Executive Chef Louis Mellaci. “While we’ve donated whole meals in the past, last year we gave 80 pounds of sliced turkey with gravy and HFM Food Service contributed toward that donation.” As Roy’s pays employees for their time to prepare the food, Roy’s Waikoloa’s 60 employees are asked to donate canned goods.
“The food we donate for the hungry is the same quality as the food we prepare for our guests,” notes Chef Mellaci. “There is no compromise. We brine the turkey first to ensure it’s juicy, season it and then roast it.”
In Hilo, the Salvation Army organizes a holiday meal that feeds about 800. In its 26th year, the annual Thanksgiving Banquet is held at Aunty Sally Kaleohano’s Lu‘au Hale and also delivers meals to shut-ins and on-duty police and firemen. Food is donated by local residents and cooked at a local commercial kitchen and Aunty Sally’s. Low’s International contributes all the bread, including its colorful, flavored varieties.
“We’ve been doing this so long, people just walk in and drop off a check,” says Donna Parong, Hilo Salvation Army office manager. “It’s hard to explain the miracles of God and basically that’s what it is. One guy showed up last year with a truck full of canned goods he purchased at Costco.”
In Na‘alehu, on the second Wednesday of December, Hana Hou Restaurant closes its door at 3 p.m. to host an annual Holiday Christmas Party for the community. Owners Drake and Patty Fujimoto serve a free supper of stew, chili, macaroni and cheese, rice and salad to about 350-400 people. Each keiki receives a gift and photo with Santa. Also distributed is a stash of 70 coveted door prizes, like bicycles and boom boxes, which are awarded by lucky numbers.
“A lot of Ka‘u families are struggling,” says Drake. “They are young couples with keiki. This event is a way for me to give back.”
Known for its roast pork plates and fresh, baked pies, the Hana Hou has been owned by the Fujimotos for seven years. They have hosted the party ever since opening. Hana Hou’s 12 employees and the ‘O Ka‘u Kakou (We Are Ka‘u) service organization helps set up and serve at the event. The Fujimotos finance the party with help from community donors like the Ka‘u Social Club.
According Dr. Nani Lee of the Hawai‘i Island Food Bank, people pulling together to help feed the hungry is nothing new in Hawai‘i. “It’s part of our culture in Hawai‘i to have a free association of food,” she shares.
Dr. Lee, executive director of The Food Basket Inc., said the organization always gets calls around the holidays from people asking how they can help. The food bank distributes food to a network of about 60 islandwide locations that operate as food banks, soup kitchens and shelters.
“People will come in with a wad of grocery tapes for redeeming turkeys or call us with generous offers of turkeys and hams,” says Dr. Lee.
Another old Hawaiian proverb sums up how one person can make an important difference, whether helping feed the hungry or offering a donation: ‘Ukuli‘i ka pua, onaona I ka mau‘u–“Tiny is the flower, yet it scents the grasses around it.” ❖
If you would like to lend a hand in feeding the hungry, contact:
- Jackie Rey’s, 327.0209
- The Kona Salvation Army, 326.2330
- The Hilo Salvation Army, 935.1277
- Hana Hou Restaurant, 929.9717
- The Food Basket, 933.6030
Contact Fern Gavelek at ferng@hawaii.rr.com.
Photos by Marshall Zaun.
Fern Gavelek
A native Hoosier, Fern moved to Hawai‘i in 1988. Ever since, she’s been writing about what makes Hawai‘i so special. She has extensively covered the state’s tourism, culinary, and agriculture industries and was named Hawaii County’s Small Business Administration Journalist of the Year. Also a public relations professional, Fern promotes a half-dozen Big Island events, several trade associations, and local businesses. The Holualoa resident is an avid community volunteer and was by tapped the Kona-Kohala Chamber of Commerce 2009 Member of the Year. She enjoys gardening, time with husband John and playing with their pup, Sweet Pea.
