The Purple Van Project
Since 1991, The Purple Van Project of The Private Sector Hawaii has delivered weekly food boxes to those in need on the North Shore of Oahu, from Mokulea to Kahuku. Our program responds to all phone-in requests for emergency food. Volunteers deliver abundant nutritious food to our low-income neighbors, families and those living on local beaches, with special focus on residents of the Haleiwa Senior Center and Kapuna Homes in Waialua. Our all-volunteer staff partners with the Hawaii Food Bank and Aloha Harvest to gather surplus and donated food from local grocery stores and wholesale food distributors.
We could use your support in keeping the Purple Van on the road, picking up and delivering food to people in need on the North Shore. All donations are tax deductible and go toward transportation and very minimal administrative expenses. Click here to donate.
And, if you are interested in helping us meet these needs, please fill out the form here.
Either of these would be a gift of Aloha.
The Purple Van Success Stories
A recent note from a North Shore resident: “These guys have been around since I was a little kid. They literally come to your door and drop off food if you need it. They’ve helped many, many, many of my friends and family throughout the years.”
Uncle Steve (an older Hawaiian gentleman who lives in a broken-down home near Sunset Beach) after showing us his new surgery scars, said he was so thankful for this food box, he was totally out of food.
During a delivery to Mokulea, to the unhoused community there, the main contact, exclaimed, “We had no food, I was crying, and I didn’t want the children to go hungry. Then I saw the Purple Van and could not believe it. We are so thankful.”
The Balbaronna’s, five related families living on Sunset Beach, with 14 kids, said that our food boxes are extremely important now more than ever. One young man said, “I am embarrassed to ask for a food box. I have a young child and just lost my job.” We assured him that there is no disgrace, only strength, for being willing to ask for food for his family.