‘Āina Ho‘okupu O Kīlauea receives $100,000 grant from Office of Hawaiian Affairs

The state Office of Hawaiian Affairs has awarded ‘Āina Ho‘okupu O Kīlauea a $100,000 grant to support the help reinforce and strengthen Native Hawaiians’ ‘ohana (family), moʻomeheu (culture) and ʻāina (land and water).

With the funding, ‘Āina Ho‘okupu O Kīlauea said it will provide 3,600 mixed locally grown produce boxes supplying weekly fresh fruits and vegetables to more than 300 Native Hawaiians across Kaua‘i over the next two years.

“One of the biggest killers for our Native Hawaiian community is the health issues associated with bad diet,” state a press release from ‘Āina Ho‘okupu O Kīlauea. “We are happy to provide healthy options and a true connection to ‘Āina.”

‘Āina Ho‘okupu O Kīlauea is a nonprofit established in 2015 with a goal of facilitating solutions to economic, social and agricultural/food security challenges that the greater Kīlauea community faces.

The organization undertook stewardship of a 75-acre parcel from the County of Kauaʻi, formerly owned by the Kīlauea Sugar Plantation Co. and now called the Kīlauea Community Agricultural Center.

The purpose of the Office of Hawaiian Affairs 2022 -2023 Community Grant: ‘Āina is to serve the Native Hawaiian lāhui in alignment with the strategic foundations, directions and outcomes of the 15-year Mana i Mauli Ola Strategic Plan.