356 Non-Profits Benefit from $1.3M A&B Kōkua Program

The Maui Food Bank is one of the organizations that were identified as longstanding beneficiaries of charitable giving from A&B. File photo courtesy HC&S/A&B.

By Wendy Osher

A total of 365 non-profit organizations in the state received part of a $1.3 million funding release from Alexander and Baldwin through the company’s Kōkua Giving Program.

The funds were issued between July 2012 and December 2013, and include funding for health and human service groups, education programs, community and civic groups, and programs relating to culture and the arts, according to a company announcement.

The company noted long-time relationships with four beneficiaries including: the Maui Food Bank, Kaunoa Senior Services, Doris Todd Christian Academy, and the Maui Interscholastic League.

A&B executives say the charitable donations “carry forward a legacy of giving and a commitment to philanthropy instilled by its founders.”

Company senior vice president of government and community relations, Meredith Ching commented in a press release statement saying, “A&B’s roots are in Hawaiʻi. It’s where we have a responsibility and an opportunity to help shape the community, and where we believe we can make a positive impact.”

Ching said the giving is just one of the ways A&B makes a difference throughout the state and, is “reflective of our commitment to our friends and neighbors.”

Alexander & Baldwin, Inc. is the state’s fourth largest private landowner, and is the owner and operator of the state’s last remaining sugar plantation.