Feed My Sheep celebrates 25 years serving Maui’s hungry

The nonprofit Feed My Sheep mobile food distribution organization celebrated their 25th anniversary at Grace Bible Church on Maui, Tuesday. Grace Bible served as the home of Feed My Sheep’s first public distribution site. The anniversary event celebrated the generosity of Joyce and Myles Kawakami, as well as thousands of volunteers who have helped the organization function with kindness and aloha.

In August 1999 youth leader Joyce Kawakami accidentally founded a food program when she noticed some of her students were hungry and had no food at home. Despite sneaking groceries to these students to protect their privacy, they shared this act of kindness with other families in need who began coming for help also. Weekly food distributions became a regular part of life for the Kawakami family. Over 25 years Feed My Sheep grew from feeding six families to 350 families every week. 

Feed My Sheep currently serves households in need at four weekly mobile food pantries in Lahaina, Wailuku, Kahului and Kīhei as well as a fifth monthly distribution in the East Maui community of Hāna. Households who qualify financially receive 10 pounds of food per person from volunteers and staff whose motto is, “We don’t have clients. We have friends.”  

The last 25 years has included community wide emergencies such as the recession, COVID 19 and the Maui wildfires which introduced new households to Feed My Sheep. As many as 10,000 people per year attended during such emergencies. To meet that growth Feed My Sheep has relied on partnerships with agencies including County of Maui Department of Human Concerns, Salvation Army, Hale Kau Kau, Maui Food Bank, Maui United Way, Maui County Organizations Active in Disaster (Maui COAD), Common Ground Collective, Hawaiʻi Community Foundation and more than 30 local churches. 

Feed My Sheep’s leadership is actively pursuing new avenues of sustainability for the organization and for the friends they serve to develop small scale agricultural opportunities. “Our goal is to give our friends control of their health and well-being by supporting their ability to grow their own nutrition,” said Executive Director, Scott Hopkins. 

To donate or volunteer with Feed My Sheep, visit their website feedmysheepmaui.com or call 808-872-9100.