As of last week, The Pantry by Feeding Hawaiʻi Together had 16,623 families registered in its e-commerce system.
“They don't come every single week, but they'll come as needed,” Executive Director Jennine Sullivan told Aloha State Daily. “On a weekly basis, we serve around 11,00 unique families. Everyone can shop and pickup food once a week, but not everyone does. Sometimes itʻll be every other week or once a month.”
She added that the year-over-year increase in families served has been “staggering,” up 121% in 2024 above the year prior.
“Our goal is to continue serving families, offering nutritious and culturally-relevant items and fresh produce,” Sullivan said. “The Hawaiʻi Foodbank is the Feeding America Partner, so they import food and distribute it to organizations like us – weʻre direct access. The partner agencies then distribute it to the hands of the families.”
Sullivan, who graduated from Punahou School and worked several corporate jobs on the Mainland before returning home in 2020, was recruited to reopen The Pantry in a new 13,000 square foot facility in Kalihi, following the sale of its Kakaʻako warehouse in 2016. The nonprofit was established in 2000 by founders Diana and Charlie Lorenz, who introduced the “grocery store style” shopping model that allows community members to select the items they want at no cost to them.
Non-food items are also available such as hygiene products, diapers, seasonal goods and even slippers. Each individual can select up to 10 items per week for pickup from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Wednesday or Friday.
ASD visited The Pantry on a Tuesday, where volunteers packed and sorted orders for distribution.
In February, Sullivan was named among USA Today’s Women of the Year, which recognizes women making a difference in their communities across the country.
“I was incredibly surprised and grateful,” she said, adding that they sought her out, it wasn’t nomination based. “What I do here is not because Iʻm some superhero. It’s because I have an amazing team of staff, volunteers, community partners, local farmers and distributors who enable us to do our work.”
As The Pantry looks to expand, she said, “It's not necessarily to serve more people, but it is to help better support and grow our food ecosystem here in Hawaiʻi.”
One way the nonprofit is doing that is through a partnership with the University of Hawaiʻi's Urban Garden Center. “We send volunteers to the UH Mānoa campus to plant and harvest produce – like taro, ʻulu, lettuce, bananas – that our clients love.”
Sullivan said building a welcoming culture of inclusiveness has helped maintain and grow the organization’s volunteer base over the years.
Last year alone, The Pantry had more than 1,200 unique volunteers, many of whom she said have served with the organization since the beginning.
“You’ll work hard here, but you’ll have fun,” she said. “Our motto is serving with aloha. We’re a big community of helpers and we’re all doing this together.”
According to Sullivan, volunteer help, financial support and corporate partnership are among the nonprofit’s top needs.
“We’re here and I think we're in a good spot because of many years of efforts and the generosity of our community,” she said. “This is a place of community by community, which is one of the best parts of Hawaiʻi, so we see that and weʻre grateful for that.”
In 2025, The Pantry nearly doubled its staff to now six full- and part-time employees, she said, adding that its annual operating budget is $1.3 million.
CONTACT
The Pantry
Jennine Sullivan, Executive Director
Email: jennine@thepantry.org; info@thepantry.org
Address: 2522 Rose St., Honolulu
Hours (by appointment only): 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. every Wednesday and Friday
Phone: 808-888-0778
Website: thepantry.org
Kelsey Kukaua Medeiros can be reached at kelsey@alohastatedaily.com.
