'EWA — Retired Air Force Col. Brenda Jean Gregory is on a mission to feed the hungry, one peanut butter and jelly sandwich at a time.

"Somebody said to me the other day, 'You can't feed all the hungry people in the world, Brenda.' And I said, 'I'm not trying to feed all the hungry people in the world. That's God's work.'

"But if I can give one person a sandwich, a drink and an apple, and it takes away the growl and makes their day just a little better, then that's what I want to do."

So, tomorrow, in her Ocean Pointe backyard, Gregory and her tiny peanut-butter coalition will hand out as many sandwiches as there are folks who want one.

The occasion is the first official event of Peanut Butter And Jelly 4 Tots — a shoestring, nonprofit organization comprised of Gregory; her husband, James Gregory; her best friend, Shamim Gray; and Gray's 3-year-old daughter, Nadia.

"It's humble beginnings," admitted Gregory. "Right now everything is coming out of our own pockets."

The organization's mission is to provide "limited services to help feed and clothe children and adults in need on O'ahu." The Gregorys didn't set out to establish an official organization. It's just that since they're both retired military — "He's Army and I'm Air Force, so we have a mixed marriage," she said with a laugh — the two had extra time on their hands.

In the beginning the two would simply cruise around on weekends with a carload of sandwiches, drinks and used clothing they'd picked up at yard sales, and give it all away.

"We'd drive around to no place in particular and if we saw someone who looked hungry, we'd say, 'Hey, we've got sandwiches if you want any,' " she said.

There were plenty of takers. One day it occurred to Gregory that she and her husband could do more.

"And I want to do more," said the Manhattan native who says she grew up with her parents and three older brothers in a poor but loving family.

"And I thought if I could establish myself as a nonprofit — because a nonprofit gives you legitimacy — that I might be able to approach businesses to help me do this."

Lending a helping hand had been a family tradition during her upbringing. Her mother was forever offering to others, she said.

"I never knew what to expect when I came home from school," said Gregory. "I might come in and find people I'd never seen before. And my mother would say, 'This is Mrs. Jones and her children — they're going to stay with us for a while.' "

James Gregory, who was raised in Nashville, Tenn., is the practical member of the twosome.

"He grounds me more," said Brenda Gregory. "But I lift him up."

Those who have been fortunate have an obligation to give back, he believes.

"Brenda and I have been afforded the opportunity to travel all over the world," James Gregory said. "And you go to Europe and places like that, and you see they take care of their people."

That's how it ought to be here, he said.

Until it is, he and his wife will do what they can in their own limited way. They won't be able to feed the multitudes. But they've got peanut butter and jelly enough for most anyone who'd like a sandwich.