The third annual Fill a Cruiser Food Drive event will be held at the Kona Costco warehouse parking lot on Sept. 1 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., the Hawaii Police Department announced in an Aug. 24 news release. A collaboration of the police department’s Kona Community Policing Section, Costco of Kona, the Food Basket Inc., and KAPA Radio personality Tommy Ching, the Fill A Cruiser Food Drive will help provide food to island residents in need.
"During the COVID lock-down, we really saw the increased need for food assistance for our local community and Kupuna, so we conducted the first Fill a Cruiser Food Drive with the ever-so-thankful assistance from the management and staff of the Kona Costco, who also realized the major need for this event and how it will positively help our community," said Officer Dwayne Sluss of the Kona Community Policing Section.
The event will have a marked police cruiser stationed in front of Costco, allowing both Costco members and the wider community to contribute nonperishable food items. Canned goods are always a good choice for food drives as are dry goods, bottled water, and peanut butter.
Once collected, these donations will be handed over to the Food Basket, which will distribute them to Hawai'i Island residents facing difficulties. In response to the Lahaina fires, this year's event will also accept monetary contributions earmarked for the Maui Food Bank. All funds received during this period will be directly channeled to the Maui Food Bank, serving as a crucial response to the heightened demand for food assistance.
"HPD's Kona Community Policing Section would like to express its sincere gratitude to Costco of Kona and its employees for their participation and to the Food Basket Inc. for all their hard work providing food to Hawaii Island residents," HPD said in the news release.