Binhi At Ani receives $30,000 grant to expand senior meals program

Binhi At Ani Filipino Community Center has received a $30,000 grant to expand its Bayanihan Feeding Program that prepares and delivers free meals to seniors on fixed incomes.

Nareit Hawaii presented the grant to the nonprofit Binhi At Ani on Thursday.

"This grant is a godsend and comes at such an opportune time," Binhi At Ani President Melen Agcolicol said. "We would have been strapped to continue our free meals program without Nareit Hawaii's generous donation. This grant will pay for our food and supplies for the next two years and allow us to increase the number of seniors we can provide free meals to on Maui."

Binhi At Ani started the program in February 2021 to provide free meals on weekends to elderly residents on fixed incomes living in the Hale Mahaolu senior housing community. The program aimed to protect seniors from becoming infected from COVID-19 while also keeping them fed and healthy. Since then, meals have been prepared and delivered to about 150 seniors every weekend.

The Nareit Hawaii grant will allow Binhi At Ani to reach more residents in other senior housing communities.

"Caring for our seniors and keeping them healthy and secure in their golden years is a core value of our community's way of life," said Gladys Quinto Marrone, executive director of Nareit Hawaii. "We admire the spirit and commitment shown by Binhi At Ani to look out for the health and welfare of Maui's seniors and are proud to support this wonderful free meals program that so many volunteers are giving their time to make possible."