Page 4 - MidWeek Kauai - Nov 9, 2022

4 KAUA‘I MIDWEEK NOVEMBER 9, 2022
T Lost And Found
ālama Kaua‘i was founded in 2006 and focus-
here is nothing that I love more than my wife, my kids and my dogs. I consider myself a very lucky man and I thank God (whom I also love) for every
es on increasing local food production and access for a resilient Kaua‘i. We’re excit- ed that we just surpassed the halfway point toward build- ing the island’s first food hub in Moloa‘a. We now need to secure the final $1 million to finish the build-out.
day that I have with them. Sure, it’s not perfect, but then nothing really is. And if there’s any reason to be thankful for the pandemic, it’s that we took too much for granted and need to appreciate the things that too often are overlooked.
That being said, here is a recent incident during which I tried my best not to get bent out of shape over something petty. In the past, one of my biggest pet peeves was that my wife and daughter never put things back where they got them from. For example, we use two different remote controls to operate our living room TV. One is for our cable box and the other for our smart TV. We found that if we leave the remote lying around, our “kolohe” dog Wilson (Buddy is an angel) will take the remote and chew it up. I had a brilliant idea and stuck two strips of Velcro on the wall next to my chair and stuck both remotes to the wall. Seems so easy to hang them up there. Enter my wife and daughter.
In the meantime, we con- tinue to pivot to Kaua‘i’s needs, finding ways to be of service when emergencies like floods or the pandemic occur. It’s not just for the people eating the food, it’s to ensure our food system is strong and can support us in times like these.
to commit to support local farmers, ranchers and food producers.
Channeling my new attitude, I calmly told her to retrace her moves. Perhaps it was in her pants pocket or in her lunch bag or purse. Nope, not there and my identity theft alarm went off in my head. She seemed really casual about it say- ing, “It’s probably on my desk. I’ll just check on Monday when I go to work.”
I often find that the work we do represents how inter- connected we all are, and how any action we make can impact others.
In December and Janu- ary, we’re hosting a series of food access meetings to hear from the community about their needs. Please fol- low our social media pages or join our e-newsletter for announcements.
It was the weekend from hell for me, as I started antici- pating someone draining our money from the account. On Monday, I called her and asked if she found it. She said no, that she even checked the garbage, but to no avail. She calm- ly said, “It’ll turn up.” I told her to call the bank and cancel her card, which she did. An hour later, she called me saying, “I found it! I inadvertently put it in the school’s bank deposit bag. See? It was safe and I told you it would turn up!”
Currently we have pro- grams that focus on farm- er support, farm to school, gleaning and food distri- bution. We need residents
To help us fund the new Moloa‘a ‘ĀINA Center food hub facility, donate to Mālama Kaua‘i online at malamakauai.org or kauailocalfood.com. For more information, call 808- 828-0685 or email rose@ malamakauai.org.
Increasing Kaua‘i’s Food Production
M By Rose Hayes, project manager, Moloa‘a ‘ĀINA Center of Mālama Kaua‘i
I often find that the work we do represents how interconnected we all are, and how any action we make can impact others.
For whatever reason, it’s too inconvenient to return the remotes back to their Velcro resting places, so I’ll find them behind the couch cushions or in Wilson’s mouth. I’m the one who keeps putting them back (in a way, I’m enabling them). But it’s a minor issue in the scope of things so I let it go.
I remember during one of the Hanalei landslides we called a farmer and bought all the bags of food she could harvest from her field to dis- tribute the next day. While unpacking in the pouring rain, she grabbed my arm, looked me straight in the eyes, and said, “You saved my farm.” Her farm got washed out and if she hadn’t harvested everything for us, she would have lost it all.
Our kauailocalfood.com food hub programs purchase from 100-plus local food producers and offer delivery or pickup locations across the island.
(Top and above) Construction has begun on Mālama Kaua‘i’s new Moloa‘a ‘ĀINA Center food hub facility. The nonprofit is raising funds to complete the project. PHOTOS COURTESY MĀLAMA KAUA‘I
SPEED BUMP by Dave Coverly
The other day, my antennae went up when I heard my wife say, “My debit card is missing!” She further explained that she gave it to our daughter to buy lunch at a drive-thru fast-food restaurant. When our daughter brought back the food, she returned the card. But rather than returning the card immediately back to her wallet, my wife put it down with the intention of putting it away later.
Making local food acces- sible is critical, and 51% of our consumer sales are made with SNAP. SNAP users get 50% off produce, poi and food plants with DA BUX.
I wanted to make a snide remark but couldn’t because I had already bitten right through my tongue.
rnagasawa@midweek.com