 Back to ThinkTech. I'm Jay Fidel. This is Community Matters. You're only given Tuesday. We have Jeanine Sullivan. She is the executive director of The Pantry, Feeding Hawaii Together. I don't know. I've got all the words in there. What's your corporate name, Jeanine? The Pantry by Feeding Hawaii Together. Okay. Very important. Food is important. Feeding people is important. Feeding people is always important. But in time of COVID, when a lot of people do not have the same, you know, resources they had before, it becomes all the more important because, you know, you have a breakdown of society if people are hungry. This is a serious problem if people are hungry. So tell us about the company. It's a nonprofit. Today is Giving Tuesday. It's an appropriate time to discuss how we can support you, Jeanine. So, and you're decades old. That's very interesting. So tell us the history. Tell us what you're doing these days. Absolutely. No, thank you for taking the time to meet with me. The Pantry is a 20-year-old organization and we're built on the concept of providing fresh, diverse, nutritious food to those in need. And so I think in the times of COVID, that, I mean, of course, the need has increased during the times of COVID, but we're not just a COVID-focused organization. We've been here for the past 20 years and we expect to be here the next 20 years. And so, you know, we're really excited about what we're doing and we feel strongly that no one in Hawaii should go hungry. A recent survey came out that said one in five Hawaii residents struggle with food insecurity, which is an astronomical number. And certainly, you know, we've seen that increased due to the financial difficulties that COVID has created. But we're really passionate about making sure that anyone who needs help can come to us and we'll be sure that they get that fresh, diverse, nutritious food. Oh, I want to drill down on all of that. So interesting. We cannot afford, as I said before, we cannot afford to have people hungry in our community, not only for the human empathy of it, but it undermines the social compact. It undermines the viability of our community together. And we can't stand it if they're hungry. We can't stand it. And I guess you feel that way too. What made you join this organization? What made you, you know, devote yourself to its mission? Absolutely. So I'm a Hawaii girl, born and raised, like many people. You know, I was fortunate enough to go to the mainland and spend some time on the mainland, working for different organizations, different companies. And I spent a lot of time on the corporate side of the world really looking at finance and venture capital and startups. And I really had always had my heart set on coming back home once I had enough experience. And so I was home, working from home, actually, before COVID all hit. I was just doing some consulting work and working from home. And I had learned about this opportunity to help reopen the pantry in the beginning of the year. And I just really felt that that was the opportunity that I had been working my entire career to find, that I could lead an organization and make sure that I'm able to make that impact that I had been looking my whole career to make. Great story. So it was closed at the time. What's the backstory on that? Absolutely. So as I had mentioned, we're a 20-year-old organization. We closed a few years ago when our property in Kaka'aka was sold to a developer. And so for about a two to three-year time span, we were looking for our next facility. And so with the support of a community development block grant, we were able to purchase a 13,000 square foot facility in Kalihi right at the intersection of the H1 and H2 to make sure that we're at a location that would be very easily accessible for our clients who are coming from all over the island and just make sure that they would have easy access to us. So we reopened on April 1st of this year. And since then, we've served over 60,000 individuals. We serve about 11,000 individuals every month. And we just want to make it known that if anyone is in need, we're here to help and visit the pantry.org to register for food, to shop for food. But especially in the season of the holidays, no one should go hunkered. And we're here to make sure that that doesn't happen. Especially in the holidays, it's really depressing when you don't have food in the holidays. That tears at you, tears at everyone. So I was going to actually start a show, Janine, counting the number of people who had died from COVID. So right now, it's 260,000. And we thought we'd get some people together and just simply count. The problem was, it would take you weeks, 24 by seven, to count to 260,000. On the other hand, it would take you a long time to just count to 11,000. So you do a lot of things and we don't have time to count to 11,000 today, but that's a big number. And a 13,000 foot facility, that's a big number too. That's a big facility. That's an ambitious plan. No kidding. Can you talk about how you acquired that facility? Absolutely. So we worked, we were working with a number of different organizations once our organization had to close in Cacaaco due to the real estate. And so we were working with a number of agencies. We were applying for a number of grants and the community development block grant was gracious enough to accept our grant and help us purchase this three and a half million dollar facility so that we could carry out our mission of making sure that no one goes hungry and that we saw food insecurity in Hawaii. How long did it take you to implement that plan to buy and to set it up? The purchasing part was the most time consuming aspect. It took us about two years to find and purchase a facility. And then it took us about another year to bring the facility up to code. So, you know, a number of wonderful organizations and charities within Hawaii helped us do that. So we had to put in a brand new fire sprinkler suppression system just to make sure that we're a safe organization for all of our volunteers and clients who are on the facility. And we were able to do that with the gracious support of a number of organizations who all shared our vision and continue to share our vision. Wow, that's a major project. And so you store all the food in this 13,000 foot facility. If somebody wants food, they go on your website, the name of which is the pantry by Feeding Hawaii Together. The pantry.org. Pantry.org. That's simpler. Very simple. I go on the website and it's going to ask me about my income and see if I qualify. And if I qualify, then you'll invite me to come over and pick it up or how will you get it to me? Yep, it's actually an even simpler process than that. So you go online to the pantry.org and you register and there you self-certify to your income level. And so once you self-certify, you're immediately welcome to shop online and pick the items that you and your family want to eat. And so in the same way that, you know, you might go grocery shopping at a store, the same concept applies but online. So you as the client are able to go online, pick what you want, what you eat that's within your dietary restrictions and desires. Add that to your cart. Check out and you'll be given a pick up date. And so you can come to our facility on that pick up date. We operate a drive-through, walk-through. So just bring your order number. Come and we'll give you your order in a contactless manner to make sure that we're keeping our volunteers safe, our clients safe, but also our community safe, especially during these very uncertain times. Well, I'm really impressed. So it goes from the website to somebody who goes and pulls it off the shelf and puts it in a basket or a box and then sets a date or you set the date, I suppose, and then you meet that person. And that includes frozen goods as well as, you know, room temperature goods. That's absolutely correct. You've done it in a certain time. So it's, you know, hasn't defrosted and so forth. Right. So we have walk-in refrigerators and walk-in freezers on our facility that we obviously use to supplement the dry goods. So for anyone who's shopping online, for example, today we have a number of dry goods, but we also have frozen fresh local fish. We also have frozen pork patties. And so obviously we're not putting those items on the shelf in preparation. We get those items and we add that into the orders at the time of pickup to make sure that we're maintaining all health standards. Well, I suppose I'm the kind of person who really feels, wants to take advantage of the system. Okay, I want to game the system. I want a lot of food and I qualify, but I also ask for a ton of food. Do you have controls on that? Yes, we do. So we have three rules in place for the pantry. The first is that you're able to shop once per week. And so because everyone is registering online, we're able to see who's coming and who's picking up. But also the second rule is that we put a quantity restriction on the number of items that you're allowed to take. And that depends on your family size. So for a family of two, you get for each person in your household, you get a lot of 10 items. If you're a family of two, you get 20 items. If you're a family of eight, you get 80 items. And we've really found that our clients take what they want and what they need. And, you know, just because they have eight people in their family doesn't always mean that they're getting 80 items. They're really just taking what they want. Yeah. So what about the quality of these products? Are they below standard? Are they seconds in some way? Or is it the same thing I could find in any food market in Hawaii, I suppose, no? Yes, no. This is not anything that you or anyone wouldn't go to the grocery store and get yourself. Anyway, this is all same quality type of food. Everything is, you know, of course food standard within food standards. But we actually, the way that the organization works is that we partner with local food suppliers, with local food banks, to get the food into the hands of those that need. And so that, of course, includes a number of food purchases. So we work with a number of food partners within the community, all local, that we buy things either at no margin. So we're saving costs as best as we can. But I mean, we make food purchases and they're the exact same things that would go to a Costco, that would go to a Safeway, that would go to a Food Land. What about high-end thing? What about extravagances? I mean, not to say this is an extravagance, but suppose I put my whole budget of items on Ben and Jerry's ice cream. And it's obvious that's not healthy for me or my family. Do you have control on that? We do. And that's actually a great point in that what we're working on for our upcoming releases, right now we're on the website, but in the next 30 days or so, we're launching the Pantry app that is going to incorporate a lot of those nutritional suggestions. And so definitely stay tuned for that and more news to come when we go live. But yes, we do put restrictions to make sure that one family isn't going away with 50 gallons of ice cream. Yes, we make sure that that is out. Not cool, not cool. Well, just the logistics. Who is room for 50 gallons of ice cream? Now, what about caviar? I like caviar a lot. Can I put some of my budget of items on some caviar? We have not made food purchases of caviar. As the leader of this organization, I don't feel like that would be a good use of our financials. So you talk about how the beneficiary, I'll call them beneficiary or her, comes in on the website and check boxes on what he or she wants for themselves and family. But what about you or your buyer, so to speak, the one who goes around to, I don't know, Safeway, one of the other food stores and is going to buy from them at no margin or however you set the economics up. Is that also mechanized? Is that also done electronically? So I would say it depends. So the way that it works on the buying side of things is that I'll work with local food suppliers to understand and take in what they have in stock. So certainly I put it in a big order for white rice just because that's a household staple here in Hawaii. But I also work with them on seasonal items. So for example, our Christmas special, we're distributing giant turkey legs and stuffing and mashed potatoes. And so because those are holiday items, they take a little bit more effort to find and secure. But a lot of it is just, of course, relational in that everyone knows everyone in Hawaii. And so we're always looking for more food partners and anyone who might have access that they're looking to donate and to make sure that that goes to a good use. What about alcohol? We do not serve alcohol. Good. That would really be a risky business. No kidding. Yeah. Okay. So you're going to stock the shelves with this. You're going to let people order it. You're going to deliver it to them. And one question I was going to ask you is who qualifies? What are the income levels that are established here to determine whether I can have the benefit of your operation? Absolutely. So it's as long as your household doesn't exceed 185% of Hawaii property levels, which is a federally set standard around income levels, you are eligible for our services, we'll be very happy. What is that roughly now? For a family of four, it's about $55,000. So if I'm less than $55,000, I would qualify for the pantry food from the pantry. Interesting. Exactly. And when you say household, do you measure this by the number of people in the household, or is it just a household, however many people there are? So the household is defined as the people that you're registering as a group unit. And so for someone who lives with maybe two children and themselves, that would be a household of three. And so unless the children are making income, it would be that one individual's income level. The situations look different for different scenarios of families and what each family is in their own situation. So it sounds like you open an account. You create an account so the pantry knows who I am, so to speak. And when I come in, I log in on that account. And then we don't go through this each time. You already know who I am. Yes, exactly. So for anyone who's new, they register once. And that's when you give us your information, your name, your phone number, so that we can contact you, your email, how many people are in your household. And then after that, you're able to shop once per week. And so like you had mentioned, our inventory is changing every day, depending on what we have purchased or why anyone donates to us. That changes every day. And then we have a large number of volunteers. And we're also always looking for volunteers who help us custom pack every single order or pickup. So what you order is what you will get. And we have volunteers who make that a reality. Fabulous. So tell me more about the volunteers. Who are they? And what about your permanent staff? Who staffs these 13,000 feet of facility? I am the only full-time staff member. Is that right? Okay. I'm really impressed now. And so, you know, especially on Giving Tuesday, please know that, you know, any financial donations you may go directly toward feeding our communities and making sure that no one goes hungry. It's there's very volunteers work free. My volunteers do work at no charge. And they're wonderful. I have a huge assortment of volunteers who come from all over the place. Some of them, you know, I have come on a regular basis and we see them weekly. Some of them, you know, build their work schedules around volunteering for us. We certainly have members of different organizations that come with us that come and volunteer with us. The Coast Guard has been a phenomenal supporter. I warn you, Janine. I'm former Coast Guard. I know. I saw your interview with one of our regular volunteers. The Coast Guard is phenomenal. And, you know, we're always looking for other organizations who are looking to make sure that no one goes hungry. Hey, there's a picture of the Coast Guard right there. Okay. All right. Great. So what's the demographic of your volunteers? They old, young? Where do they come from? Why do they volunteer? Who are they? Or maybe you can't even answer that because they come from so many different places. But what's your general impression anyway? There's probably two groups of volunteers that we have. We have those that come by themselves because, you know, they're just believers in the mission of making sure that no one goes hungry. And then we also have groups that come in. And so groups like the Coast Guard, groups like the Rotary Clubs, church groups, volunteer groups. We welcome anyone and everyone, you know, every single volunteer matters, every single hour matters. And what they do is, you know, everything that is needed to maintain a 13,000 square foot facility. So that includes packing orders for our clients so that their custom orders are picked up. It includes putting items in the trunk. It includes making produce bags from the produce that we have going out that day. We have many volunteer needs and would love to work with anyone who has time and is interested in making a difference in the community. Yeah, that's a great way to spend time, really. So is it 24 by 7? Are you open and running all seven days or what? What are your hours of operation, Ginny? So anyone is welcome to order and shop and register 24-7. We are open for pickup 30 days a week, Tuesdays and Fridays from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. and then Wednesdays from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. And then we have volunteers only on Mondays and Thursdays who come and help us custom-pack those orders. All right, so now I want to talk about, we have a few minutes left, I want to talk about the larger picture. You know, through this discussion, I keep thinking about Andrew Yang. Remember him? Of course. I thought he was the most selfless guy on the stage. As a matter of fact, you know, I thought he was fabulous. And his thing about, you know, having, what was it, $1,000 a month? Universal basic income. Yeah. Oh, I was so impressed with that. I think that is the future. And that's why I mention this to you because I think what you're doing, it's not temporary. And COVID or no COVID, that's where we're all going. That's where this country, with its diversity and its economic complexity, that's where it's going. And what you're doing now is kind of a forerunner of what will happen and it will continue. Do you agree with my vision on that? I think that I certainly think that, especially COVID has shown us more so than previous years, that the need for basic support services is absolutely fundamental. And it's something that, you know, a number, if not most all developed advanced countries, especially in Europe, are doing. And that's just something that I think we've all realized is something that we need more of. And I certainly hope we would see more of in the future. Yeah, I think we'll have to, but it's okay. It's okay to have to, and it's okay to do it. But, you know, one question is the economic question. I'm sure you think about this day and night, that, you know, that's a primary function of your job, isn't it? You have, you've described the model where you put the cash in and the benefits come out. It's that simple. You're taking that money, you're buying food and you're giving the food away. Beautiful. Simple. However, you got to bring in the cash. So where does that come from? What's the array of supporters, so to speak? Who are they? What companies? What kind of organizations are giving you this money? And is it sustainable? Because if for some reason it dries up, say because of a bad economy, oh, that's a headache for you. So tell me, how do you raise the money? Sure. I mean, I really think of them in really four groups of donors. One is going to be the city, state and federal. You know, the CARES money just finished yesterday. That was an enormous help. We also received support from city and state, city and county of Honolulu, as well as the state of Hawaii. That's of course a much more variable income source, but I think that the government has been a great supporter of us and we certainly hope to work well with them in the future. The second would be corporations. So a number of corporations have been incredibly generous because it's their employees, it's their neighbors who are going through these economic difficulties and they understand the value of being good community partners. We have a number of phenomenal organizations who have given us a wide range of financial donations and no donation is too big or too small. Every single penny matters and we're incredibly great for those generous donors. The third would be different foundations and organizations like that. We work with a number of foundations to get this building and facility back up and open in April of 2020, of course. And so we hope to continue to work with different foundations that will continue to see and realize the incredible value that we're bringing to the community. And then the fourth group is individual donors and every single penny matters. There's no donation too big or too small. If you work in a corporation, there's frequently corporate matching. Every single dollar matters. All right. What's the future of it, Janine? Is the 13,000 square feet going to be enough for you? Do you need another one in some remote location to serve another community? Neighbor islands? I don't know. What's on the drawing boards here? Where is the pantry going? Absolutely. So our vision is to solve food insecurity by 2025 and we think that we have a plan to do so. A large portion of that plan comes from the app that I had mentioned that's going live at the end of this year. And that will allow us to work with other organizations in a more streamlined manner. It will give us better operational visibility so we can think through and think about where we want to expand. And how do we eventually give or share this technology with other organizations? We're a non-profit and our goal is to solve food insecurity and we want to do that through partnerships. And so we have a lot of plans in the future and it certainly involves growth. So stay tuned and visit the pantry.org to keep up to date on what we're working on. Will you ever cover, you know, ever sell things other than food, like for example dry goods? Would you include that in the future? I think that everything's an option at this point. You know, we're looking for sustainable ways to make sure that we're able to continue to serve the community. And if that involves a social venture, that's certainly a possibility. But we're always open to everything and everything, anything. So there's no hard nose on the table. And you're bored. Are you close with them? Do they give you direction or are you the kind of leader that can do most of it by yourself? I have a phenomenal board. I'm very close with my board. I actually have two board members volunteering right here right now. We're in the middle of a distribution. I have a phenomenal board that provides wisdom and guidance and sometimes just physically being here. Sure. Sir, that's the support all of its own, isn't it? Exactly. So I want to ask you one last question. It's a question largely out of curiosity. But here you are. You were on the mainland just talking to you. I know you could make a lot of money that you're well trained and in some fashion or another, maybe banking, finance, what have you. And yet you're here. You're here doing altruistic things, elimousinary things for the community, serving the community in a very poignant way, I might add. Some charities, you have to really figure it out. Here is food. That's different. So you do you. I sort of think that you do represent a new generation of Hawaii people who are definitely Hawaii, who understand they're part of Hawaii. They're part of the fabric. It's built into them. And they're trained. They have experience on the mainland. And one, they decide to come back and do altruistic things, community-based things. And I sense that you're not alone. I mean, you're unique. I'll say that. But you're not alone. And that maybe with you shoulder to shoulder, either now or coming soon, there are others, other people just like you, who come and they want to help the community. They want to make Hawaii sustainable. Am I right? And to what extent am I right? You're 100 percent right. I have a number of classmates from high school here who I've had conversations in very recent weeks who are planning their journey back home and are trying to figure out what do they need to do to make it work here? Because they want to come back home, they want to give back to their community. And they want to make a difference. And so you're 100 percent right. I think that that's absolutely a growing trend. And now more than ever, we need those individuals to come back. And you're here. You're a leader. We have to follow you. We have to talk to you again. We are very impressed that I mentioned that before. Thank you. Thank you, Janine Sullivan. It's a wonderful discussion with you. And I wish you all the best here on Giving Tuesday. And I hope that you find all the support you want and more. Thank you so much. Aloha. Aloha.