LIHU‘E — The nonprofit Malama Kaua‘i wants to survey 500 residents experiencing food insecurity to lay the groundwork for an island-wide joint Food Access Plan with the state Department of Health.
Malama Kaua‘i, DOH’s regional food-access coordinator on Kaua‘i, has been holding ongoing meetings with local partners concerned with food accessibility. Participants include the Hawai‘i Foodbank, multiple food pantries, Child &Family Service and Wilcox Health. Low-income-housing-complex property managers are set to join in January.
But such meetings have limitations, according to Malama Kaua‘i leadership.
“You can’t make much progress on addressing food insecurity without speaking to those who live it,” Malama Kaua‘i Executive Director Megan Fox said in an email. “Those are the voices that should be leading this work and its direction.”
Hence the nonprofit’s emphasis on its new survey, responses to which are anonymous.
Eight respondents had completed the survey as of Monday, Malama Kaua‘i Food Access Coordinator Stormy Soza said in an interview.
Preliminary findings are not yet available. But Soza believes the coronavirus pandemic has exacerbated food insecurity — the lack of food or money to purchase food — on Kaua‘i.
Kupuna appear to be the hardest-hit demographic, Soza said.
“Especially the ones in the care homes — they don’t get visitors, they’re on fixed income (and) they live independently, but actually need a lot of help,” she explained. “Some of them can’t even prepare their own meals, and going to the grocery store is not something they’re capable of doing.”
Other populations identified with food insecurity include keiki and families below the poverty line. But more-refined demographic information is still in the works, according to Soza.
The survey will conclude upon receipt of 500 responses, and the joint Food Access Plan it will inform is slated for completion sometime in 2022.
Soza wants to see the completed plan implemented within the decade.
“There’s a lot of goals that each individual food-access partner has: Hawai‘i Foodbank wants to see a food pantry at every school; Child &Family Service wants a food pantry at their place,” she said.
The survey can be found online at http://tinyurl.com/MK-Survey. Respondents who provide their contact information, which is optional, will a receive a free bag of produce for their time.
Respondents will also be invited to join focus groups or advisory panels that will help guide the Food Access Plan in 2022.
Soza recommends anyone in need of technology assistance contact her at stormy@malamakauai.org to arrange a visit from a Malama Kaua‘i representative.
Temporary food hub
Malama Kaua‘i’s new space on Kuhio Highway in Lihu‘e is buzzing with activity, two weeks after the nonprofit moved in.
The site, next to Aloha Theater near the Big Monster Sushi &Thai restaurant, will operate as Malama Kaua‘i’s food hub until the construction of a permanent facility in Moloa‘a is complete.
Soza noted the hub is not a storefront: it’s both office space and a drop-off point for farmers, whose produce is packaged on-site prior to delivery to consumer pick-up locations across the island.
The Moloa‘a location was chosen due to the region’s high concentration of farmers. When finished, it will be more than a staging area for packages of fresh produce.
“They can wash their produce; they can juice 30,000 pounds of citrus; they can dehydrate fruits; they can make the value-added products that can boost their sales and keep them going,” Soza said.
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Scott Yunker, reporter, can be reached at 245-0437 or syunker@thegardenisland.com.
