Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 37, Number 5, 1 May 2020 — OHA Collaborates to Help Feed Kūpuna [ARTICLE]

OHA Collaborates to Help Feed Kūpuna

One immediate eoneem is food security, particularly for some of the most vulnerable members of our community: our kūpuna. To address this need, in early-April OHA appropriated $450,000 to launeh Kaiāulu Meals, a partnership between OHA and a statewide network of community organizations to deliver 12 weeks of locally-sourced food to nearly 1,500 kūpuna in need across the pae'āina (see related ailiele). "The kūpuna are the foundation of the 'ohana, and our 'ohana are the foundation of the community," said OHA Chair Colette Machado. "By taking care of elders, who are the most vulnerable to this disease, we take care of our 'ohana, thereby taking care of our community." OHA's Kaiāulu Meals program is supporting the efforts of 13 community-based service providers to distribute enough food for three meals per week to Native Hawaiian kūpuna, ages 60 years and older. The groups have worked with their communities to identify kūpuna with the greatest need. The program will distribute will distribute thousands of meals and hundreds of CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) food packages every week to kūpuna on every island. The origin of Kaiāulu Meals is rooted in the selfsustainability of our communities. Early on during this crisis, a number of organizations assessed the immediate needs of their communities and identified food insecurity

as a major issue facing 'ohana and especially kūpuna. These community groups, located on eaeh island, quickly stepped up to provide prepared meals and loeal produce for their communities. "These groups truly embody the cultural values of aloha, mālama and lōkahi," said OHA CEO Dr. Sylvia Hussey. "OHA is proud to partner with these organizations and to follow the community's lead in how to best address their needs." In addition, these service providers are working with Hawai'i small businesses and farmers to ensure that meals and the CSA include loeal products. "Another outstanding part about this program is that not only are we giving our kūpuna fresh, healthy mea'ai, but we are also supporting our loeal businesses and farmers during these eeonomically difficult times," said Hussey. While at-risk kūpuna are the current focus of the program, the Kaiāulu Meals program may expand as community needs evolve and new partnership opportunities arise. Community groups partnering with OHA in the Kaiāulu Meals program include: Alu Like, Lunalilo Home, Hale Kealoha/'Āina Hau'oli, KEY Project, Wai'anae Coast Comprehensive Heahh Center, Unele Glenn's Hawaiian Food, Hawai'i Rise Foundation, Living Way Church, Hui No Ke Ola Pono, Lāna'i Senior Center, Mālama Kaua'i, Nā Maka Onaona and Ka Hale Pono.

OHA RESPONDS Continued from page 17 addition, OHA meets regularly with the Chair of the Oversight Commission, Kawika Patterson, to provide updates on reentry efforts and assist in strategizing as needed.