Above, Kula Hospital’s Nutrition Team, led by Chef Leslie Barayuga, loads the Maui Food Bank van with turkey donations.

WAILUKU — Maui Health continued its holiday tradition this year donating over 100 turkeys to various community organizations the week of Nov. 22-26.

Each of Maui Health’s over 1,500 employees was gifted a turkey as a small token of appreciation last month, and many employees opted to pay it forward — deciding instead to donate their turkeys.

“The sharing of food brings people together, and this is especially true in Hawaii,” said Michael Rembis, Maui Health CEO.

“With the COVID pandemic, our employees have worked incredibly hard and have had to spend time away from their families for so many months. It is our hope that they were able to enjoy some time and a delicious turkey meal with their loved ones.”

Turkey donations were provided to the Maui Food Bank and Ka Hale A Ke Ola Homeless Resource Center for their clients.

“Thanks to the generous donations from Maui Memorial Medical Center and Kula Hospital staff, hundreds of people were able to have turkey on their tables this Thanksgiving,” said Keith Wright, Maui Food Bank director of operations.

“We rely on the generosity and aloha spirit of our community partners to help us fulfill our mission to help the hungry, and we are especially grateful for our healthcare heroes who continue to give and put others first, while already sacrificing so much during this challenging time.”

Rembis said, “This is a special holiday giving campaign that we partner with community agencies on each year, and it truly speaks to the selflessness of our employees. They continue to give all they have to our patients and their colleagues every single day, and then the holidays come along, and they give even more! I can’t express how truly proud I am to know and work alongside these real-life heroes.”