O ka pono ke hanaʻia a iho mai na lani.
The phrase – which when translated means “Continue to do good until the heavens come down to you” – is displayed prominently at our Aina Haina store. And it was these words that Leslie Wilcox, President and CEO of PBS Hawaii, quoted at our annual Give Aloha celebration today as she conveyed the importance of the Give Aloha program to PBS Hawaii and other non-profits throughout the state. How meaningful it was to hear Wilcox explain that funds raised through Give Aloha are an unanticipated – but much needed gift that is more critical than ever today when raising the funds necessary for critical programs is harder than ever. Needless to say, her words were inspiring to all of us involved at Foodland and I wanted to share them with you because without your support, Give Aloha would not make such a significant impact on our community.
Thanks to you, Give Aloha raised more money than ever before for non-profits throughout Hawaii. Total funds raised from Foodland, our customers and the Western Union Foundation came to $1,868,188.54, exceeding last year’s total by 8.8%. WOW!! To see such results in these challenging economic times says a lot about the generosity of our community. And I hope all of you know that the 665 Hawaii non-profits that participated in Give Aloha this year are truly grateful for your support.
Here at Foodland, Give Aloha has always had a special place in our hearts. We love it because it honors the spirit of giving of our founder, Sully Sullivan; because it allows us to support the organizations our customers care about; and because we know that together, we are building a better Hawaii. O ka pono ke hanaʻia a iho mai na lani. May these words continue to guide and inspire all of us.