Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 37, Number 6, 1 Iune 2020 — Hānai Kaiāulu: Feeding our Community [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

Hānai Kaiāulu: Feeding our Community

Aloha from Kaua'i! During these ehallenging times due to the COVID-19 pandemic it is important to support our kūpuna and beneficiaries. I would like to introduce Pelika Andrade and Emily Cadiz. I was fortunate and honored to kōkua them in delivering fresh produce, vegetables and loeal meats. Both were key players in supporting LOCAL, our loeal producers, farmers and ranchers. As a eom-

munity volunteer, I learned the importance of loeal agriculture and sustainability within our own communities, ahupua'u and moku. I am excited to share the work of Pelika and Emily, and their passion to support loeal agriculture and sustainability on Kaua'i and across the pae 'āina. Aloha, Trustee Dan Ahuna In this current circumstance of COVID19, we onee again are reminded of how important our loeal food systems are to the resiliency of our island home. As we work to get fresh, loeal produce and products out to our community and into homes, it is just as important to provide our farmers and producers with a loyal and committed customer base to ensure they continue to plan, grow and provide food for the future. The instability of how consumers (our communities) shop now directly impacts how and what farmers grow for the future. Our organization, Nā Maka Onaona, and partners 'Āina Ho'okupu o Kīlauea,

UH Sea Grant, OHA and Kamehameha Schools are working hard to help bridge the gap between the consumer and producer, helping to establish a loyal and committed consumer (community) base by providing a way for the eom-munity-at-large to access and, in some cases, be introduced to existing loeal food sources. We are using the current situation brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic to help shift our food systems into a co-dependent localized partnership between

producers and consumers; between farmers and community members. From the end of March and into April, we reached approximately 350 households across the island of Kaua'i from Kīlauea to Kekaha. We were able to service over 1,000 people continuously over the course of those seven weeks, distributing approximately 1,400 produce boxes. These deliveries were just a fraction of the overall produce being distributed across the island of Kaua'i by 'Āina Ho'okupu 0 Kīlauea (AHK) who also partnered with the Adopt-a-Kupuna/COVID19 eommunity relief fund that distributed hundreds of produce bags to elders and families on the North Shore. This program is one of many here on Kaua'i, and it would not be possible without all the support from volunteers and loeal organizations/businesses. These past few months have been a beautiful reminder of the resilience and collaborative capacity found in our communities. 1 lā maika'i, Pelika Andrade ■

Dan Ahuna TrustEE, Kaua'i and Ni'ihau