Surfing The Nation’s Feeding the Hungry (FTH) program has been operating for over twenty years on the island of Oahu. FTH started with the founder of STN, Cindy Bauer, dropping off bags of food to seven families weekly. Now, the program has grown to feed 2,500- 3,000 people weekly. FTH’s goal is not only to feed the hungry but to bring hope to the lives of the many we care so deeply about. The FTH program feeds a diverse group of people; homeless, veterans, seniors, single parents, multigenerational families, native Hawaiian and Micronesian families, and handicapped individuals. We want to strengthen our communities by meeting human service needs and feeding the hungry.

There are several community outreaches within FTH. There are two food distributions: one bi-monthly in Wahiawa, and one every Friday in Waipahu. Between the two distributions, 1,000,000 pounds of food is shared with 75,000 people annually. Apart from the food distributions, a community food pantry was opened at STN’s Headquarters in Wahiawa in 2018. The food pantry is open 4 days a week with 15-30 people served daily. The poverty percentages in Wahiawa and Waipahu are higher than the national poverty average, meaning there is a great deal of need for food assistance in those two communities.

The Covid 19 pandemic has affected many people on Oahu and the number of participants in our distribution program keeps rising. Participants are struggling with finding and keeping stable jobs, locating a secure place to live, and food insecurity. Providing food distributions and offering support and community outreach assistance aligns with our mission of caring for those in need. For over twenty years we have served our community and want to continue this mission but some of our equipment, including our tents, need to be replaced.
We are always looking for ways to improve, be more efficient, all while upholding a standard of excellence.