The Hawaii Foodbank received a $250,000 donation from proceeds raised from an auction of a private collection of historic stamps issued during the Hawaiian kingdom.

The auction was held May 29 at the World Stamp Show at New York’s Javits Center. The stamps were previously owned by collector William H. Gross of Laguna Beach, Calif.

One of the many stamps sold at the auction included a rare, unused 1851 5-cent Hawaiian Missionary Stamp that sold for $46,000 to an unknown buyer.

Lori Kaya, spokeswoman of the Hawaii Foodbank, said the donation will be used to collect and distribute 625,000 meals. “The Gross family wanted to give it to a nonprofit in Hawaii who was doing good works and making an impact on the community,” Kaya said.

Their aloha will give a lot of food and hope to those in need, she said.

Hawaii Foodbank provides food assistance to more than 123,000 households on Oahu comprising 287,000 residents — or 1 in 5 residents — who include approximately 48,000 children and over 46,000 seniors.

Auction proceeds also raised $1 million to go to the Smithsonian National Postal Museum, where historic stamps issued during the Hawaiian kingdom are on display in Washington, D.C. The donation will create an endowment for ongoing maintenance and upgrades, said Gross’ spokesman, Mark Porterfield, in an email.