HFWF Donates $75,000 to Community Organizations This Year, Total Giving Exceeds $3.1 Million Since 2011
HONOLULU, HI (May 26, 2022)—Hawaii Food & Wine Festival® (HFWF) is pleased to announce that it has donated $75,000 to local culinary, agricultural and community organizations statewide. Proceeds from the eleventh annual Festival were gifted to 11 nonprofit partners, including nine aina-based organizations that collaborated with HFWF to provide hands-on volunteer experiences on the Island of Hawaii and Oahu through the Festival’s Malama Aina program.
The 2021 beneficiaries were recognized at a private reception held at Mariposa at Neiman Marcus on Wednesday, May 18 in conjunction with the highly anticipated announcement of the Twelfth Annual HFWF events this fall. In attendance were HFWF sponsors, industry partners and contributors representing numerous international, national and local corporations, government agencies, individual donors, and beneficiary organizations. 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 Malama Aina activities encouraged participating chefs and festival attendees to care for Hawaii, 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 Malama Aina 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 hookupu or gift back to Hawaii.
“At our core, the Hawaii 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 Hawaii’s restaurant industry workers and contributions to nonprofit charitable organizations that support local food sustainability, as well as cultural and educational programs.”
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
Each year, HFWF ticket purchases go towards supporting Hawai‘i’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 Twelfth Annual Hawai‘i Food & Wine Festival® Presented by First Hawaiian Bank and Mastercard® go on sale today, Thursday, May 26 for a number of events scheduled from October 21-November 6, 2022 in Kāʻanapali, Maui, the Island of Hawai‘i and O‘ahu. Additional events and hands-on experiences to be announced in the coming months. Visit hawaiifoodandwinefestival.com to purchase tickets, view event details and chef lineup.
For Press & Media inquiries, please contact:
Kristen Lau-Grover, Director of Marketing & PR | [email protected] or 808-721-1849
ABOUT HAWAI‘I FOOD & WINE FESTIVAL
The Hawai‘i Food & Wine Festival is the premier epicurean destination event in the Pacific. The Festival features a roster of more than 150 internationally renowned master chefs, culinary personalities, sommeliers, mixologists, and wine and spirit producers. Co-founded by two of Hawai‘i’s own James Beard Award-winning chefs, Roy Yamaguchi and Alan Wong, the Festival showcases culinary experiences, wine tastings, cultural engagement and exclusive dining opportunities with dishes highlighting the State’s bounty of fresh, local produce, seafood, beef, poultry and spices. Since 2011, the Festival has given over $3 million to support local beneficiaries committed to culinary and agricultural education, sustainability and cultural programs in Hawai‘i.