Aloha e friends,

MAHALO NUI - you helped make Giving Tuesday a huge success last month!

Together with other caring donors and Facebook's match, we raised approximately $10,000 to support next year's programs and continue to build a sustainable Kaua‘i! We're now 1/3 of the way to our end of year fundraising goal of $30,000! Thanks for being a part of this special day. We could not have done it without our village!

This Makahiki season, we're celebrating the bounty of the land and sharing with others. We were blessed to have a great team building experience this past weekend with our Board Member, Malia Chun, and Mālama Hulē‘ia, where we were able to help care for this special place, learn about its history, and paddle canoes to Alekoko fishpond. It was more meaningful to us than a lavish holiday party, and a fulfilling way to reconnect with each other and the ‘āina.

Makahiki season is also a great time of year to reflect on what we've accomplished by coming together, and to set our intentions and wishes for the new year ahead. We hope you enjoy a nice break to reflect, appreciate, and share with one another too.

Wishing you a peaceful and joyous Makahiki, from our ‘ohana to yours!

Megan Fox
Executive Director

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Stories in this issue include...

- Village Harvest: Gleaning Success!
- Volunteer Spotlight
- GoFarm Kaua‘i Free Education Sessions
- NEW Mahi‘ai Technical Assistance Program & Job Opening
- 2 AmeriCorps VISTA Openings: Volunteer & Farm-to-School Coordinators
- NEW YEAR, NEW GARDEN: 1/4 - St. Catherine School Garden Workday

- Support the Efforts & Our Wishlist

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Village Harvest: Gleaning Success!

The Village Harvest gleaning program has benefitted many tiers of our community. While Kaua‘i has an extreme abundance of produce, the distribution of that abundance is highly imbalanced. Working with Kaua‘i Master Gardeners, the partnership has gained islandwide and international recognition. Every week teams of volunteers harvest excess produce that would otherwise go unused, and distribute it to children in schools, afterschool programs, and food banks. Since starting in late 2014, the program has distributed over 52,000 lbs of fresh food to those who need it!

As Village Harvest closes the end of its first full-time program year, we cannot begin to express enough gratitude for the overwhelming support the program has received. In the 2016-2017 program year, with 123 volunteers, from health department employees to Girl Scout troops, in 680 hours, during 82 separate gleaning events, the program effectively distributed nearly 30,000lbs of unwanted and underutilized produce to various schools and afterschool programs across Kaua‘i. None of this would have been possible without the compassionate and hard-working partnerships that developed throughout the year; turning Village Harvest from another worthwhile volunteer opportunity, into a uniquely impactful example of generosity and communal action.

In looking forward to the New Year, Malama Kaua‘i hopes to build on these successes, develop new relationships, and continue the good work Village Harvest is doing towards a healthier and more sustainable Kaua‘i. In the coming year, the program hopes to expand its functions in hiring a full time project manager, develop 5 distinct gleaning teams across the island, achieve 2,500 volunteer hours, and harvest over 40,000lbs of produce and redirect it towards those in need. With continued support from our community, these goals are attainable, and even surpassable!

Malama Kaua‘i is calling on our community, our village, to provide support in realizing these high expectations. End of year donations made in support of Village Harvest will be utilized to establish expanded orchards at Hawaiian charter schools, ensuring year round abundance; secure a west-side location to develop a community orchard; hire a full-time staff member to manage the program and increase programmatic sustainability; and develop larger and more present gleaning teams to aid in both the harvesting and delivering of produce, ensuring that fruit gets to the areas that are most in need.

In saying, ‘It Takes a Village’, we are recognize that the success of this program is not ours, but is shared throughout the community. Village Harvest is truly the embodiment of this idea; that alone, we may be capable of much, but together, we are capable of good work never thought possible. Thank you for your support of Village Harvest, because providing for your community truly takes a village.

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Volunteer Spotlight: Ash Wilton

A dedicated garden worker with a positive spirit and a woman who is truly one with plants - these describe intern Ash Wilton, our wonderful volunteer of the month!

As a student of Evergreen State College, Ash is on Kaua‘i interning with us and conducting her own independent studies. While contributing her time, efforts, and spirit to our organization, she's also growing her understanding of tropical agriculture, permaculture, sustainability and Hawaiian sovereignty issues. Ash dedicates 2-3 days each week to stewarding the Malama Kaua‘i Youth Garden and Pollinator Forest, and has designed and installed beautiful new features such as a recycled bottle garden bed and a striking row garden.

We are so grateful for Ash's sweet presence and hard work. She inspires us all with her genuine passion for the land and others. Mahalo Ash!

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GoFarm Kaua‘i 2018 Session

The next session of GoFarm has been announced, and this time both AgCurious and AgXposure are FREE! 

Cohort6  begins with AgCurious and follows subsequent phases sequentially:

AgCurious: Thursday Jan 18th 5:30pm

AgXposure: 4 Saturdays, February 3rd, 10th, 24th, and March 2nd

AgSchool: March 14th- June 30th
Classroom nights: Thursday 6pm-8pm, Field Days: Saturday 8am-2pm

AgPro: August 2018- January 2019
Classroom nights: Thursday 6pm-8pm, Field Days: Saturday 8am-2pm

Costs:
AgCurious – $0
AgXposure – $0
AgSchool – $360

RSVP: [email protected]

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NEW Mahi‘ai Technical Assistance Program

& Job Opening!

In 2018, we're launching a pilot program aimed at supporting minority farmers and ranchers through a monthly workshop series and technical assistance program.

In our 2017 Kaua‘i Farmer & Rancher Survey, minority farmers and ranchers expressed the most need and interest in support services to start or expand their farming operations.

They are also highly underrepresented in the agriculture industry on Kaua‘i. The 2012 Ag Census reported that only 7% of Kaua’i’s Primary Farm Operators are native Hawaiian or other Pacific Islander, with Asian being the most represented minority group at still only 22%. Our goal through this program is to begin correcting this underrepresentation, build equity and empower minority farmers and ranchers by connecting them with programs, services, education, networking, and opportunities for funding.

We're looking to hire our Mahi‘ai Technical Assistance Program Manager ASAP! Please forward this link to job details to anyone who might be a good fit.

Mahalo to the support we've received from the County of Kaua‘i's Office of Economic Development and the G.N. Wilcox Trust of the Bank of Hawaii Foundation to offer this program pilot! More details will be announced soon.

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2 AmeriCorps VISTA Openings:

Volunteer Coordinator &

Farm-to-School Coordinator

 

We're currently interviewing for 2 AmeriCorps VISTA (Volunteers in Service to America) openings to start in early 2018. These 1-year service terms are an incredible opportunity to give back to the community of Kaua‘i, build new professional skills, and gain hands-on work experience in the nonprofit industry. Learn more and refer someone you know!

Volunteer Coordinator (Kalihiwai)
Recruit and manage a variety of volunteers and interns, build volunteer management systems for sustainability, plan and organize volunteer service projects across the island, and more! This highly dynamic role is a great opportunity to build your organizational and communications skills, while supporting a variety of organizations across the island working to achieve Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) for Kaua‘i. Position begins March 19th. READ MORE HERE.

Farm-to-School Coordinator at Ke Kula Ni‘ihau (Kekaha)
Support Mala‘ai Kula, Kaua‘i's farm-to-school pilot program, by building the capacity of school food and garden programs at Ke Kula Ni‘ihau O Kekaha. The day-to-day work involves launching new food and garden projects, building sustainability for programming, recruiting and managing volunteers, and fundraising. Strengthen your project management skills while supporting ‘aiea-based food systems that benefit our keiki and our mahi‘ai. Position begins February 5th. READ MORE HERE.

Want to learn more about what AmeriCorps VISTA service at Malama Kaua‘i is like? Check out our AmeriCorps VISTA FAQ or watch this AmeriCorps VISTA Virtual Info Session.

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Thurs., Jan 4th - St. Catherine's
School Garden Workday

Join us over winter break to give back in Kapa‘a! We'll be gathering to help the school revitalize their school garden project and get it ready for their Garden Elective Class to plant when they come back from break. The food grown in the school garden will not only educate students, but help to supplement their school lunch program!

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Every time you shop at Amazon.com using this link, Amazon Smile will make a donation to Malama Kaua`i! Giving has never been so easy! Simply bookmark this link and use it every time you shop.

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Donate

Help us to continue our community-based work by making a tax-deductible donation. You can specify the program(s) or project(s) you'd like your donations to go to!

Monthly Donation Options


One Time Donation

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Our Wish List

Every tax-deductible donation helps to expand our impact in the community. Here are a few things we need currently:

Priority Items: Small Engine Repair Partner (have donated machines that need to be tuned up to be usable), Civil Engineering & Architectural Services, Gas Cards

Office Supplies: Laptops / Tablets / iPhones, General Office Supplies (pens, paper, etc.)…Read more.

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