Hawaiʻi Food and Wine Festival donates $75K to community organizations in 2022

The Hawaiʻi Food & Wine Festival donated $75,000 to local culinary, agricultural and community organizations statewide.

Proceeds from the 11th annual Festival were gifted to 11 nonprofit partners, including nine ʻāina-based organizations that collaborated with HFWF to provide hands-on volunteer experiences on the Island of Hawaiʻi and Oʻahu through the Festival’s Mālama ʻĀina program.

2021 Hawai‘i Food & Wine Festival Beneficiaries include:

• Hawaiʻi Agricultural Foundation
• Hoʻokuaʻāina
• Imua Family Services
• Kākoʻo ʻŌiwi
• Kū-A-Kanaka
• Kuleana Coral
• Make Music Hawai‘i
• Mālama Loko Ea
• Mālama Maunalua
• Paepae o Heʻeia
• Papahana Kuaola

The 2021 beneficiaries were recognized at a private reception held at Mariposa at Neiman Marcus on May 18 in conjunction with the announcement of the 12th Annual HFWF events this fall.

Contributions from the 2021 Festival brings HFWF’s total community giving to over $3.1 million since its inception in 2011.

In 2021, HFWF’s Mālama ʻĀina activities encouraged participating chefs and festival attendees to care for Hawaiʻi, our culture and our natural environment—fostering a deeper connection and appreciation for the ocean and land, as well as the history of the islands.

In total, HFWF coordinated nine chef-led Mālama ʻĀina activites with nearly a hundred volunteers, including 27 top chefs from across the country, providing them with the opportunity to work the lands as their hoʻokupu or gift back to Hawaiʻi.

“At our core, the Hawaiʻi Food & Wine Festival has always stressed the values of sustainability, education and responsibility,” said HFWF Chief Executive Officer, Denise Yamaguchi. “Even as we emerge from the challenges of the pandemic over the last two years, we have continued to prioritize paying it forward through emergency funds that supported Hawaiʻi’s restaurant industry workers and contributions to nonprofit charitable organizations that support local food sustainability, as well as cultural and educational programs.”

Each year, HFWF ticket purchases go towards supporting Hawaiʻi’s farmers, ranchers, and fishermen, as well as investing in up-and-coming chef talent at local culinary colleges and agricultural education for children. 

Tickets for the 12th Annual Hawaiʻi Food & Wine Festival^® Presented by First Hawaiian Bank and Mastercard^® are now on sale for a number of events scheduled from Oct. 20 to Nov. 6, 2022 in Kāʻanapali, Maui, the Island of Hawai‘i and O‘ahu. Additional events and hands-on experiences will be announced in the coming months.

Visit hawaiifoodandwinefestival.com to purchase tickets, view event details and chef lineup.