HONOLULU -- Hawaii credit unions collected 46 tons of rice and $45,000 for their “Have a Rice Day," fundraiser for the Hawaii Food Bank.
“Have a Rice Day” ran from September 9 – November 10. Each credit union gave away plastic rice paddles, imprinted with the credit union’s logo, to those who donated 20 pound bags of rice or cash equivalents.
Each credit union held rice-themed events throughout the “Have a Rice Day” program, including plate lunch sales, rice dish samplings, and rice cooker give-aways to drive awareness and increase donations. *Gohan Da Hawaii Rice Guy, a life sized mascot created for this program, made special appearances at credit unions on Oahu. (*Gohan is the Japanese word for rice.)
A check presentation was held on Wednesday, December 14 at the Hawaii Foodbank in Honolulu. The money received and the rice donations were distributed to Hawaii Foodbank, Maui Food Bank, The Food Basket (Big Island) and Hawaii Foodbank – Kauai.
