Sentry donates $250K to Maui Food Bank

KAPALUA, Hawaii (Jan. 5, 2021) – As world-class sports return to the island of Maui this week with the 2021 Sentry Tournament of Champions, the Sentry Insurance Foundation announced it donated $250,000 to the Maui Food Bank. The Maui Food Bank is the county’s primary safety net for hunger relief. It’s currently serving more than 10,000 people each week with emergency food distributions.

Since Sentry became title sponsor of the Sentry Tournament of Champions, the mutual insurance company spent significant time on the island building relationships with local organizations, talking with local leaders about areas of need, and becoming a part of the Maui community.

“Over the past three years, Maui has become our home away from home,” said Pete McPartland, Sentry chairman of the board, president, and CEO. “The pandemic has been particularly devastating to Maui’s economy. Unemployment rates here have been some of the highest in the nation. We wanted to help in a meaningful way—supporting Maui County families and local businesses.”

The Maui Food Bank donation is the second of two donations made to the island community by the Foundation this year—together totaling $450,000. In May 2020, the Foundation also donated $200,000 to the Maui United Way as part of a $1.07 million commitment to coronavirus relief support across the country.

“Supporting basic human needs, like food and basic necessities, and improving quality of life are vital causes Sentry is committed to supporting on Maui,” said Kalynn Pempek, executive director of the Sentry Insurance Foundation. “This donation will help the Maui Food Bank continue to support the local community with safe and nutritious foods and help those who suffer from hunger.”

Not only does the Maui Food Bank directly serve members of the community, but it also supports local businesses by purchasing food from local farmers, markets, bakeries, and other businesses.

“We’re currently experiencing an extremely high unemployment rate in Maui and the surrounding areas, which in turn leads to many residents needing meal support,” said Richard Yust, executive director of the Maui Food Bank. “We couldn’t be more grateful for Sentry’s donation as it will help us continue to sustain our community through these challenging times.”

The donation will be used to support the food bank’s emergency food box distributions across the area to help with hunger and other basic needs.