Common Ground Collective Receives and Distributes Nearly 40,000 Pounds of Donated Food During Thanksgiving

May 21, 2024           5 minute read

Common Ground Collective announced that, through its partnership with leading food distributor United Natural Foods, Inc., it received 1,000 donated turkeys and 24 pallets of donated dry groceries for Maui’s relief efforts over the holidays. 

Thanks to the generosity of UNFI, Pitman Farms, and Jennie-O, 40,000 pounds of food were donated to Common Ground Collective and were distributed to community partners in Maui. “UNFI cares greatly about the communities we serve and we’re proud to be able to leverage our operational, logistics, and distribution expertise and scale to support this meaningful food donation, which we hope will provide some much-needed relief to families recovering from the devastating Lahaina wildfires,” said Erin Horvath, UNFI’s Chief Operating Officer.  

Common Ground Collective is proud to have partnered with numerous local agencies, businesses, and volunteers in Maui to ensure that fire-impacted residents in Maui County receive free holiday meals. Napili, Sheraton, Honokowai, Pohaku, Kelawea Hubs, and the County/Community (MOKA & Upcountry Strong) Hubs will provide over 500 turkeys to families with access to kitchens. Cooked turkeys will be prepared for some families without access to kitchens in the Lahaina area by students and staff at Seabury Hall. Additionally, thanks to collaboration with Maui Food Bank, Hawaii Food Alliance, Honolulu Freight Service, and Rimfire Imports ensured efficient storage, trucking, and distribution assistance. 

“We want to express our utmost gratitude to all our community partners and volunteers who are working collectively to ease the burden of holiday meals for those who have already suffered so much, and to UNFI, Jennie-O, and Pitman Farms for their generous donations,” said Jennifer Karaca, Founding Executive Director of Common Ground Collective.