Page 22 - MidWeek - January 25, 2023

22 MIDWEEK JANUARY 25, 2023
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Dwight Otani under- stands the impor- tance of food securi- ty. It’s why he worked so hard during the last holiday season to ensure that 26-plus tons of fresh produce and eggs were delivered to nonprofit Aloha Harvest and a host of O‘ahu families in need.
Foundation, just so that he could donate the contents to those in need.
table organizations through the years.
“I will never forget back on March 17, 2020, when Hawai‘i shut down all the restaurants due to COVID,” states the CEO of D. Otani Produce Inc., who worked in collaboration with Matson Inc. and Saint Louis School on the donation effort. “That week we had eight 40-foot containers of produce already coming in and another nine containers coming in the fol- lowing week, which we could not cancel.”
Just in time for Christmas, Aloha Harvest then distrib- uted the food through its network of more than 200 associations. Mission accom- plished.
Dwight Otani
“I will never forget his kind gesture,” recalls Otani, “and so as business has come back to normal and we are back on our feet, I decided to mirror this great man ... to help feed those in need in Hawai‘i.”
Otani explains that he reached out to several of his company’s suppliers, noti- fying them of his plan, and while some products were purchased, his request gar- nered a significant number of donated items as well.
into food boxes for redistri- bution to Hawai‘i families.
“I will never forget his (the late Gregory Gomes) kind gesture, and so as business has come back to normal and we are back on our feet, I decided to mirror this great man ... to help feed those in need in Hawai‘i.”
Otani confesses that his motivation came from a dear friend of his, the late philanthropist and business- man Gregory Gomes, who had called and asked what Otani’s intentions were with the produce. Gomes even of- fered to buy $30,000 worth of merchandise through his public charity, The Webco
Otani has always main- tained a soft spot for the less fortunate.
“Once we started receiving commitments for the dona- tions, we contacted Matson to arrange shipping and they stepped up to help,” he ex- plains.
“We have not had a one- time food donation of this size — ever,” states Phil Acosta, executive direc- tor of Aloha Harvest. “We are grateful for the generosi- ty and trust of our communi- ty partners, especially during the holidays. We are honored to partner with D. Otani Pro- duce, Matson and Saint Louis School, and look forward to more collaborations to feed the need of our families.”
Along with wife Trese, the duo have made it their mission to give back to the community — whether it be through generous contri- butions to their alma maters (Otani is a ’ 73 graduate of Saint Louis, while his wife graduated from Sacred Hearts Academy the same year) or by hosting events for chari-
He then reached out to Saint Louis president Glen Medeiros to see if the school would be interested in joining the effort. Medeiros agreed, and quickly enlisted the assis- tance of students and faculty in assembling ingredients
D. Otani Produce Inc. has grown into one of Hawai‘i’s largest produce wholesalers since it first started its business in 1989. See dotaniproduce. com for more information.
— Jocelyn Lansangan
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