Walmart Funds 54,000 Meals for Maui County Keiki

(From left) Matt Dillon, vice principal of Pu‘u Kukui School; Rich Yust, executive director of the Maui Food Bank; Fe Gaoiran, associate at Maui Walmart; Stacy Tagatac, associate at Maui Walmart; Kotaro Nishimura, associate at Maui Walmart; Walter Lott, store manager at Maui Walmart; and Chad Okamoto, principal at Pu‘u Kukui School. Courtesy photo.

Maui County keiki in need will receive 54,000 meals during the upcoming 2016-17 school year thanks to a grant to the Maui Food Bank from the Walmart Foundation.

The Maui Food Bank’s Aloha BackPack Buddies program recently received a $45,000 grant from The Walmart Foundation’s Hawai‘i State Giving Council.

The grant will provide 9,000 food backpacks a month (54,000 meals) for kids in need across Maui County for the upcoming 2016-17 school year.

There are 20 schools in Maui County that participate in the Aloha BackPack Buddies program with the Maui Food Bank.

“The Walmart Foundation’s generous grant will go a long way to help children in need in Maui County,” said Rich Yust, executive director of the Maui Food Bank. “We are so appreciative of Walmart’s longtime support of our Maui community outreach and programs over the years, including the donation of one of our large refrigerated trucks to service those in need across our island.”

The Walmart Foundation’s State Giving Program supports organizations that create opportunities so people can live better, awarding grants that have a long-lasting, positive impact on communities across the US.

To be considered for support, prospective grantee organizations must submit applications through the Walmart Foundation State Giving Program’s online grant application. Applicants must have a current 501(c)(3) tax-exempt status in order to meet the program’s minimum eligibility criteria.

Additional information about the program’s funding guidelines and application process are available online.