NEWS RELEASE

HONOLULU, June 4, 2020 – First Hawaiian Bank (FHB) today announced that the “Aloha for Hawaii” campaign is donating $250,000 to Blood Bank of Hawaii to ensure that our community’s blood supply is replenished to meet  the community’s medical needs during the COVID-19 pandemic. This gift is the result of another 250,000 restaurant takeout and delivery purchases made by FHB cardholders through this initiative that also supports Hawaii’s restaurant industry.

Blood Bank of Hawaii joins the previously announced non-profit recipients Hawaii Meals on Wheels, The Food Basket – Hawaii Island’s Food Basket, Maui Food Bank, Kauai Independent Food Bank, The Pantry by Feeding Hawaii Together, Child and Family Service, Aloha Harvest, and Hawaii Foodbank, bringing the First Hawaii Bank Foundation’s total contributions to $775,000 since the Aloha for Hawaii’s campaign began in mid-April.  

Human blood is a resource that cannot be manufactured, and a single blood donation can save up to three lives. Through its blood drives last year, BBH received about 51,000 blood donations and distributed 70,000 blood products statewide . When COVID-19 and the stay at home orders forced the cancellation of blood drives across the state, BBH saw a loss of 80 percent of Hawaii’s blood supply. BBH quickly set up pop up locations to collect blood donations seven days week. The Aloha for Hawaii donation will help the BBH continue their blood collection strategy in response to COVID-19 and efficiently meet the constant blood supply needs in the community. 

“Blood Bank of Hawaii is extremely grateful to be selected as a recipient of First Hawaiian Bank’s Aloha for Hawaii initiative. We can’t thank First Hawaiian Bank enough for its support of our mission and commitment to the foundations of our community,” said Dr. Kim-Anh Nguyen, CEO of Blood Bank of Hawaii.  “Through this generous donation, BBH is adapting the way we currently collect and provide blood -- improving our transportation and logistics and replacing our aging fleet. It will also help us to prepare for future public health needs; to implement innovative initiatives like COVID-19 Convalescent Plasma, new tests and therapies for emerging infections, and transfusion technologies to enable the new medical treatments developed and used in Hawaii’s hospitals. With the support of nonprofit champions like First Hawaiian Bank, we feel confident that there is nothing that we cannot accomplish, together, for the good of our community.”

“Blood Bank of Hawaii is a vital community resource, working to ensure that our blood supply is safely replenished during this pandemic,” said Cameron Nekota, president of the First Hawaiian Bank Foundation. “With the Aloha for Hawaii initiative, the restaurant industry is being supported through meal purchases from our card holders and First Hawaiian is providing funding to non-profit organizations working to meet the COVID-19 relief needs of our community. This has truly been a way for our community to join together in showing our Aloha for Hawaii.”

First Hawaiian Bank’s “Aloha for Hawaii” initiative, which launched in April, is a special program that offers support to Hawaii restaurants and provides up to $1 million in donations to the Aloha for Hawaii Fund, which has been established to support non-profits with food supply and health and human service programs for those impacted by COVID-19. FHB’s goal is to generate one million takeout or delivery purchases at restaurants across Hawaii, and it plans to donate up to $1 million to local nonprofits that are standing up food supply and health and human service programs that support those most at risk as a part of this initiative. FHB customers can participate by using any FHB debit or credit card to purchase a takeout or delivery meal in Hawaii, and the Bank will automatically make a donation to the Aloha for Hawaii Fund. For more information, visit fhb.com/aloha.
  

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