The Waste Not Want Not Foundation project started when, years ago, Suzanne and Jack Freitas began taking fruit from their orange, banana and lime trees in Olinda to their mother and the other senior citizens at Hale Mahaolu in Kahului. The fruit was more than Suzanne and Jack needed and the senior citizens were so grateful that it only made sense to expand this concept and help other people do the same. Suzanne’s brother James agreed to help and the Waste Not Want Not Foundation began.
We started with one truck and a handful of volunteer fruit pickers. We harvest and distribute the fruit adjusting to the needs of the tree owners as well as the receiving organizations.
With the help of our community, we will not only continue to expand locally but also help other communities state wide learn how they can implement the same process.
Our mission is to stop all the unwanted fruit from ending up on the ground or in the trash and get it to those who can use it but don’t have the means to collect or buy it.
