Nuestra misión es evaluar las necesidades de las comunidades globales, y trabajar con líderes residentes para proporcionar recursos, herramientas y educación para el éxito.
Estado de la misión:
Hacer que los alimentos nutritivos saludables sean accesibles y asequibles en la comunidad a través de educación y permacultura.
Our motivation
Residents of Big Island, Hawaii wish to demonstrate solidarity with the people of Lahaina who suffered losses of family, land and homes from the destructive fires of August 8th, 2023.
The first outreach trip on September 23rd was a success in connecting with local families, farmers, and community organizations.
By information gathering at an event held at the Lahaina civic center, it became evident that community sustainability needs were something Plant Aloha could begin addressing right away.
In October, our second trip had us volunteering at the Kelawea Mauka Community Hub, right where the embers jumped over the highway and began the fire's descent down to the ocean. It was started for the people and by the people, since this particular area was not getting any assistance with supplies for those whose houses burned down in the fire. We were able to give more plants for people to grow out of pots in their temporary homes, play music, and offer lomi lomi to those who needed it. A new coalition program began to develop: our Interisland Penpal Program.
We were invited by Maui County to contribute to a Ti planting ceremony for our third trip to Lahaina. With the generous donation of ti stalks from Halau Ha'a Kea O Kinohi in Keaukaha, our team joined Joshua Cooper and his team to plant aloha.
We continued to connect and forge relationships with the sustainability and agriculture departments, moving the conversation forward about soil bioremediation techniques and how we can help.
Our core team spent almost a week in Maui together over Thanksgiving weekend for Kokua Trip #4! We got to volunteer for Kipuka Oluwalu 501c3 with assistance in clearing the mala (growing patch) that would eventually become a lo’i (water taro patch).
Kumu Ua and Lizzie continued to perpetuate the Hawaiian culture during all parts of our time with them: from entrance protocol, native plant education, clearing the aina (land), to the closing meeting.
At this point, the mission for Big Island Plant Aloha continued to emerge as seed collection stay tuned for the official list and to hear more about it! Every week, they are hosting volunteer days!!!! Go here to sign up: https://kipukaolowalu.org/volunteer AND, if you have a group of at least 5 people interested for another day, contact them to set up a time!
During VolunTour #2 while volunteering at the Kelawea Mauka Hub, we met JoAnne Winer, another volunteer. As she learned about Plant Aloha and our Kokua Maui Tour, inspiration struck us both about the interisland penpal program and how it could help. We thought that by giving Big Island children the chance to feel empowered while hearing about Maui would give them a channel to express their concern and open up a different channel of healing for Maui kids.
No newbies to natural disasters, the 2018 flow had the Big Island community coming together to create meaningful opportunities for keiki.
Thanks to our Trauma Sensitive and Informed care nurse practioner LaRae Barnes, we were able to open up research based, meaningful dialogue for the students to share both emotional strategies, introductions with pictures, and any questions they had. We were all brought to tears by the amazing and inspired expressions of concern, compassion and caring that they put into words and pictures.
During this tour (#4), we were able to sit down with JoAnne and show her the results from that conversation - two classrooms of Hawaiian Academy of Arts and Sciences students reaching out to their peers across the ocean.
After networking with county officials and the environmental aide to Gabe Johnson, we were led to Trees for Tomorrow Today, and they became our first partner organization on Maui.
He we are with Robert from TFTT, meeting him and delivering our first batch of native and introduced seeds over Thanksgiving 2023 weekend.
These were historic since they were the first ever batch received by the coalition since inception! The seeds were passed to participating nurseries for growing out and eventual replanting on Maui. It was an exciting meeting, full of shared ideas and next step planning.
WE OFFER:
Bioremediation Plants - Dust Mitigation Plants - Property Border Plants - Flowering Plants
Food Sustainability Plants - Shade Plants - Native Ground Cover - Memorial Gardens - Plant Mats
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Plant Mats
One definite immediate and long term need for the land is soil remediation. What does that mean? It is the application of proven technologies to mitigate and manage risks from contaminated soils that could be harmful to human health and the environment.
This can be costly, expensive, and lengthy. However, thanks to our biologist, we have found a quick and inexpensive solution to the problem.
These Plant Mats will help detoxifying plants to grow and suck the toxins out of the soil. After they grow, plants get thanked and thrown away (since they are full of harmful chemicals). Soil will get continuously tested and remediated until it is healthy again, and then a new set of Plant Mats will help grow food to feed families rebuilding after the fire.
THE FIRST MAT MAKING EVENT WILL TAKE PLACE IN HILO, HAWAII
ON OCTOBER 7TH, 3:30 - 6:30 PM. CONTACT US TO BE A PART OF IT!
Other ways to help
Another way to help is by hosting gatherings or events to fundraise or purchase supplies! If you are not a non profit and wish to have fiscal sponsorship for your event to help gather donations or have donations receipts written, we can help you with that!
Contact us today! Catalina@EverydayHeroProject.org or 808.389.1518
Upcoming events
October 7: Maui Outreach Benefit Concert, 3pm - 12 am
2634 Emerson Ave. S. St. Petersburg, FL 33712
Click here for FB event: https://fb.me/e/5TTkEXfSU
Thank you to Tracy Penokie and her incredible team!
October 7th: Plant Mat Making Event & Potluck
3:30-6:30pm Hilo, Hawaii call or text 808.289.0143
For plant mat making, we could use the following items if you have them to bring: seeds, flat non stick surfaces
(like plastic cutting boards), newspapers, and screen frames or screens to dry the mats on
