(Hilo, Hawaii) – The Arc of Hilo has been selected as the upcoming beneficiary of the Ohana Fuels ‘Fuel Up. Do Good’ program. Ohana Fuels partners with nonprofit organizations that serve the needs of the local community and donates a portion of every gallon of gasoline purchased at all Ohana Fuels stations in that community. During the months of April thru June 2024, a portion of all sales at all Hawai‘i Island Ohana Fuels locations will be donated to The Arc of Hilo’s youth transition program, Career Exploration.

“Every time you fuel up at Ohana or HFN stations, you’re benefiting kids through the Arc of Hilo’s youth transition program, Career Exploration,” explains CEO of the Arc of Hilo, Robert Efford. “Our goal here at the Arc of Hilo is to help Hawai‘i Island kids with disabilities successfully transition out of high school into paid employment opportunities. Unfortunately, many of our youth stay in school until age 22 as they have nothing to look forward to. We’re changing lives with the support of our island corporate sponsors like Ohana Fuels ‘Fuel up. Do good’ program!”

The Arc of Hilo is Hawai‘i Island’s largest employer of adults and youth with disabilities, and also provides personal attendant and community living services, in addition to residential housing for low income seniors, families, and people with disabilities. 

“We are excited to announce we will be partnering with The Arc of Hilo as our next ‘Fuel up. Do good.’ beneficiary, says Kimo Haynes, President of Hawaii Petroleum. “We value the exceptional work The Arc of Hilo does to help our local ‘Ohana. We look forward to offering continued support in the community through our ‘Fuel up. Do good’ program.”

(Kailua-Kona, Hawaii) – Family Support Hawaii is excited to announce that they are the most recent beneficiary of Ohana Fuels’ community giving program, “Fuel up. Do good.” Ohana Fuels partners with nonprofit organizations that serve the needs of the local community and donates a portion of every gallon of gasoline purchased at all Ohana Fuels stations in that community. The total donation to Family Support Hawaii was $6,190.60, combined from proceeds raised at carwashes and gasoline sales during the first quarter at all Ohana Fuels locations.

Family Support Hawaii, a nonprofit organization located in West Hawaii, offers a range of programs aimed at assisting families. These programs include Early Head Start, Early Intervention, CWS Home Visiting Services and the Fatherhood Initiative. Through this collaborative partnership, the organization can acquire a state-of-the-art OAE Hearing Screener. This valuable resource will enable them to conduct newborn hearing screens at no cost to the 400+ families they serve on an annual basis.

“At Ohana Fuels, we are proud to support local nonprofit organizations through ‘Fuel up. Do good,’” said Kimo Haynes, president of Hawaii Petroleum. “We value the exceptional work these nonprofits do to help local residents and neighborhoods. We look forward to supporting our communities through our program.”

For more information, visit www.ohanafuels.com.

 Project Pilina, a program of Partners in Development Foundation (PIDF) focused on sourcing foster care families, received nearly $7,000 from the Ohana Fuels “Fuel Up. Do Good.” program to support graduating youth in foster care. During the months of October through December, Ohana Fuels donated a portion of every gallon of gasoline purchased at all Ohana Fuels stations in that community to directly support foster care youth in East Hawaiʻi.

Funds raised from the Ohana Fuels “Fuel Up. Do Good.” program will aid East Hawaiʻi high school students in foster care to purchase caps and gowns, prom attire and any additional self-care essential items needed. Remaining funds will be used to distribute meal gift cards for foster homes to host a welcome dinner for newly placed youth.

“For some teenagers in foster care, especially those living in shelters while attending high school, participating in graduation or prom can be costly and oftentimes not a priority,” said Alana Power, Project Pilina project director. “Our hope is to help them celebrate these milestones and let them know that they deserve everything they worked for and have fun with their class.”

On any given day in Hawaiʻi there are more than 1,250 keiki in foster care, of which more than 300 are 13 to 17 years old. Project Pilina recruits and guides resource caregiver (foster parent) applicants through the initial steps of the general licensing process to foster in Hawaiʻi. The program seeks to build relationships with island communities by raising awareness about foster care and connecting with resource caregiver applicants.

“We’re grateful for this opportunity to partner with Project Pilina,” says Kimo Haynes, president of Hawaii Petroleum. “Their work with foster keiki is invaluable for our community and we want to thank the community for supporting them through the ‘Fuel Up. Do Good.’ program.”

The Hilo Crescent Lions and Hilo Crescent Leos clubs waved signs that read “Fill up for Foster Care” in front of Puainako Minit Stop during the weekends. The club members volunteered their time for Project Pilina’s free car wash events where donations totaled $941. Together with the support of the community members from over eight Hawaiʻi Island Ohana Fuels locations, the Ohana Fuels campaign raised $6,920.82.

“It was really amazing to have the whole community come together for this. We are so appreciative to Ohana Fuels for this donation and looking forward to giving back to our youth in Foster Care, and the gracious Resource Caregiver homes,” said Power.

There are several ways to support Hawaiʻi’s keiki in foster care. Every month, Project Pilina hosts live virtual information sessions where participants have an opportunity to hear directly from resource caregivers (foster parents), experts in the field, and other voices in the community. For more information, go to pidf.org/projectpilina.

HCEOC was selected as a “Fuel up. Do good.” beneficiary for the months of July through September 2022. During this time, a portion of proceeds from every gallon of gasoline purchased at all Hawaii Island Ohana Fuels stations was pledged to HCEOC. 

HCEOC received a total donation of $6,457.33, which was presented on Nov. 14 by Senior Accounts Manager Joy Madriaga at HCEOC in Hilo.

This donation will enhance HCEOC’s programs providing essential services to low-income families and individuals in Hawaii County through transportation, meal preparation and delivery, rent and utility assistance, weatherization and energy efficiency resources, and WiFi connection.

“Our mission at HCEOC is to prevent, alleviate, and eliminate poverty in our county,” said Executive Director Chad Hasegawa. “This donation will be allocated among our programs, boosting our resources so we may better serve our community from multiple angles. Mahalo to Ohana Fuels for sharing our vision of giving to our community.”

Hospice of Kona Foundation was the recent beneficiary of the Ohana Fuels ‘Fuel Up. Do Good.’ program for 2022 Quarter 2. Through this community program Ohana Fuels donates a portion of every gallon of gasoline to local nonprofit organizations. Hospice of Kona received a portion of all gas sales during the quarter, as well as benefited from car washes hosted at Minit Stop locations, resulting in a donation of $6,378.32. This donation will support Hospice of Kona’s programs and services including Nakamaru Hale, the Maluihi Grief Center, and Camp Erin Hawaii.

“We are excited to announce we will be partnering with Hospice of Kona Foundation as our next ‘Fuel up. Do good.’ beneficiary,” said Kimo Haynes, President of Hawaii Petroleum. “We value the exceptional work Hospice of Kona Foundation does to help our local Ohana. We look forward to offering continued support in the community through our ‘Fuel up. Do good.’ program.”

About Hospice of Kona Foundation:

Hospice of Kona Foundation supports the mission of Hospice of Kona, to “[provide] family-centered support, education and care for those approaching the end of life.” The Foundation funds programs and services, including the Maluihi Grief Center, our children’s grief camp (Camp Erin Hawaii), our residential hospice home (Nakamaru Hale), and our volunteer/training services program.