UHMC Students Create Tech Infrastructure to Facilitate Maui’s Food Supply Chain

Pictured Keith Wright (Center) of The Maui Food bank receiving checks totaling $2,350 from Andrew Rose (Right), CEO Feed Maui Now, and Gary Albitz (Left) ABIT Lecturer and representing Rotary Clubs of Maui (Lahaina Sunset, Maui Club, Kahului).

The University of Hawaiʻi Maui College joined the Rotary Clubs of Kahului-Maui and Lahaina Sunset in cooperation with Sysco, in delivering more than 8,800 pounds of fresh produce, refrigerated and frozen items to the Maui Food Bank for needy families.

As the COVID-19 pandemic brings many uncertainties, a team of Applied Business and Information Technology students from the University of Hawaiʻi Maui College have come together to start an organization called Feed Maui Now.

Eleven students created a technology infrastructure to facilitate Maui’s food supply chain to strategically serve the community of Maui County.

The Feed Maui Now organization applies modern database technology and utilizes a website and an app to save time, effort, and money for suppliers and distributors.

• This technology supports the “Supply Side” (farmers, food suppliers, food hubs, and others) in centralizing their information about available food in a common, easy-to-access location.
• Likewise, the technology facilitates the “Demand Side” (collecting, transporting, and distributing) of that food here on Maui.

Thanks to the Rotary clubs of Maui, Feed Maui Now was able to arrange a donation of $2,350 to purchase food from Sysco for the Maui Food Bank. The first truck load for the Maui Food Bank was over 8,800 pounds of requested fresh foods.

The Feed Maui Now team aims to streamline the food collection and distribution process, becoming a one-stop shop for all in Maui’s food supply chain. By creating an island wide database of food growers and food suppliers, nonprofits who feed Maui’s needy can readily see what is available and make plans.