Hawaiʻi’s Youth in Foster Care to Benefit from Ohana Fuels ‘Fuel Up. Do Good.’ Program September 29, 2022

Project Pilina 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 October through December, a portion of all sales at participating Hawaiʻi Island Ohana Fuels locations will be donated to Project Pilina in support of foster care youth in Hawaiʻi. 

The funds raised from the Ohana Fuels ‘Fuel Up. Do Good.’ program will be used to support graduating East Hawaiʻi high school students in foster care to purchase prom attire including hair and makeup, as well as caps and gowns. Remaining funds will also be used to purchase meal gift cards for foster homes to host a welcome dinner for newly placed youth.

“Many teenagers in foster care live in a youth shelter while attending high school,” said Alana Power, Project Pilina project director. “It can be difficult to find foster homes for older children. So, walking at graduation or having the chance to dress up for a fun night out with friends at prom is a huge deal, and we want to support that.”

On any given day in Hawaiʻi there are over 1,250 keiki in foster care, of which over 300 are 13-17 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 are excited to announce we will be partnering with Project Pilina as our next ‘Fuel up. Do good.’ beneficiary,” said Kimo Haynes, President of Hawaii Petroleum. “We value the exceptional work Project Pilina does to help our local Ohana. We look forward to offering continued support in the community through our ‘Fuel up. Do good.’ program.” 

Participating Ohana Fuels are located in Kailua-Kona, Kawaihae, Hāwī, Kamuela, Honokaʻa, Laupāhoehoe, Hilo, and Keaʻau. Below is a full list of Ohana Fuels participating in the ‘Fuels Up. Do Good.’ program:

“The greatest part is that we get to do this together as an island simply by filling our gas tanks up at Ohana Fuels from October to December. It’s incredible and we are excited and grateful for this opportunity,” 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