Hawaii Baptist Academy chefs, left to right, BJ Delima, Placer Dayang and Jensen Manuel, deliver meals to Next Step Shelter in Honolulu. The school is partnering with several churches from the Hawaii Pacific Baptist Convention to provide additional daily meals at the shelter, and also Keahou Shelter, so occupants follow the state mandate to shelter-in-place.
Photo courtesy of Hawaii Baptist Academy.
HONOLULU – Hawaii Baptist Academy (HBA) and several Hawaii Pacific Baptist Convention (HPBC) churches on the island of Oahu, are helping to meet a growing need for more meals at two homeless shelters in Honolulu. Prior to COVID-19, various churches and organizations, including HPBC churches, provided one meal a day to shelter occupants at the Next Step and Keahou Shelters. But with the state mandate to shelter-in-place, the shelters recognized an urgent need to provide an additional meal to ensure that their homeless guests do not leave the property in search of food.
“By providing more meals at our shelters, we will encourage our homeless guests to stay and shelter-in-place. Not only will we be following the state order, but we will also be doing our part to make sure that the coronavirus stops spreading in our communities,” said Kapua Tani, community support coordinator for Next Step and Keahou Shelters. “We are sincerely thankful to Hawaii Baptist Academy and the HPBC churches for their support.”
Nearly 200 lunch meals are prepared and delivered daily by HBA’s chefs. Funding and resources to provide the meals also comes from the school and generous members of its community. Participating HPBC churches that serve and contribute to the Next Step and Keahou Shelters are OlaNui!, Olivet Baptist Church and Waialae Baptist Church.
“I’m very grateful that we are able to help those in need during this unprecedented crisis. It’s wonderful that we’re able to use resources already available to us, especially our talented and hardworking chefs. We also appreciate the support we’ve received from our churches and families,” said Ron Shiira, president of Hawaii Baptist Academy.
HBA anticipates serving over 8,000 lunch meals while its campuses are closed due to the shelter-in-place order. The cost of providing 10 meals is $30 per day. Donations are being accepted online at hba.net.
About Hawaii Baptist Academy
Since 1949, Hawaii Baptist Academy has been preparing students in grades K-12 for success. Qualified, caring teachers, provide a safe, nurturing environment for students to learn, grow and explore. A strong academic curriculum prepares students for college and life. A Christ-centered program assures students they are loved by God and encourages them to grow spiritually and to serve others. Co-curricular activities build self-confidence and leadership skills. For more information, please visit www.hba.net.