Hawai’i nonprofits offer assistance during COVID-19 pandemic

Government
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KKNOW has distributed 24,000 prepared meals and 3,550 boxes of fresh produce to families and communities since mid-March. | Stock Photo at Getty Images

The University of Hawai’i has issued a press release detailing the efforts of nonprofit group Ke Kula Nui O Waimānalo (KKNOW). 

“The goal of KKNOW is to build community resilience by helping fellow Native Hawaiians grow their own food before further disruptions strike," said Kirk Dietschman, president of Ke Kula Nui O Waimānalo. 

According to the press release, KKNOW has distributed 24,000 prepared meals and 3,550 boxes of fresh produce to families and communities since mid-March. 

"These efforts succeeded because these Native Hawaiian-led groups anticipated the needs of the community and leveraged existing resources and relationships to meet those needs," said Ilima Ho-Lastimosa, the lead author of the paper and a community coordinator at the Waimānalo Learning Center of the UH Mānoa College of Tropical Agriculture and Human Resources (CTAHR). “It is key that these organizations all have history with the community and have earned the trust of the members.”

Other nonprofits that have offered assistance include KUPU Hawaiʻi, Aloha Harvest,the Department of Hawaiian Home Lands and the Waimānalo Market Co-Op.