About Town 02-07-20
Sponsors sought for Summer Food Service Program
The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Summer Food Service Program is seeking sponsor organizations on all islands to help provide free meals for children in low-income communities during the summer. The SFSP provides nutritious meals that help children to learn, play, and grow during the summer break when many schools are not in session.
Schools, public agencies, churches and private nonprofit organizations may apply to be SFSP sponsors. Sponsoring organizations receive reimbursements for serving healthy meals and snacks at approved sites to children and teenagers, 18 years and younger. Sponsors are encouraged to provide educational or recreational activities.
Info: Contact Daniel Sutcharitkul at 587-3600.
Bicentennial Celebration at Henry Opukaha’ia Chapel
In commemoration of 200 years of Christianity in Hawaii and in memory of Henry Opukaha’ia, the first Christian from Hawaii, who was born in 1792, Kauaha’ao Congregational Church, UCC, invites the public for a bicentennial celebration Feb. 16 at the Henry Opukaha’ia Memorial Chapel (Hokuloa Church), in Punalu’u, Ka’u beginning at 10 a.m. A potluck fellowship follows at 11:30 a.m. at Punaluu Beach Park in Ka’u.
Guest speaker at this bicentennial celebration will be pastor Ka’eo Decoite from Maui. Descendant of Henry Opukaha’ia, Deborah L. Lee, who followed the dreams she repeatedly had that Henry wanted to come home to his homeland, and brought Henry back to Hawaii in 1993, will also share in the celebration.
Info and RSVP: 928-8039.
Unmasking Brain Injury with the Kona Brain Injury Support Group
The Kona Brain Injury Support Group will be hosting a special project on Feb. 12, participating in the statewide “Unmasking Brain Injury” project. The objective is to have each person who is living with a brain injury create a paper mache mask that depicts the hidden feelings behind their brain injury using paint, markers, crayons, beads, feathers, etc.
This will allow the survivor to identify feelings associated with their traumatic brain injury, translate their feelings into shapes, colors or images for placement onto the paper mâché mask and to increase awareness of the impacts and prevalence of brain injury.
The completed masks and corresponding written story will eventually be on display throughout the State of Hawaii as part of brain injury awareness month that is in March. Our speaker, Christel Magallanes, LSW, is with the State of Hawaii, Department of Health Neurotrauma Supports Program.
Celebrate Shrove Tuesday with Portuguese cinnamon bread
Kona Historical Society’s special bake is Feb. 20, featuring its famous Portuguese cinnamon bread to celebrate Shrove Tuesday. This special bake will happen at Kona Historical Society’s stone oven, or forno, located in the pasture below the Society’s Kalukalu Headquarters and its historic general store museum in Kealakekua.
From 10 a.m. to noon, the public is invited to watch KHS staff and volunteers create these sticky, sweet loaves of cinnamon bread. Attendees will also learn about the traditional art of Portuguese bread making and the contributions of the Portuguese, who arrived in Hawaii in the 1880s. While many of these immigrants worked in the sugar plantations, a fair number did find their way to Kona dairies and are credited for helping develop this industry.
Cinnamon bread loaves, each costing $8, can be purchased starting at 12:30 p.m. Bread sales are on a first-come, first-served basis and go until 4 p.m. or everything is sold out. Proceeds support KHS and its dedication to collecting, preserving and sharing the history of the Kona districts and their rich cultural heritage within Hawaii.
Info: 323-3222 or visit www.konahistorical.org.
“Nefarious” human trafficking documentary shows Saturday
The Hawaii Island Coalition Against Human Trafficking is hosting a premiere showing of the award winning documentary film, “Nefarious: Merchant of Souls” at 6:30 pm. Saturday at Privateer’s Cove in Kona. This event is free, and resources about human trafficking will also be available at no cost.
The coalition is hosting this event to raise awareness about this growing issue in society and to empower people in Hawaii to be informed and work together, creating stronger safer communities.
Nefarious exposes the nightmare of sex slavery as experienced by hundreds of thousands daily, through the eyes of both the enslaved and their traffickers. Nefarious features expert analysis from international humanitarian leaders, and captures the gripping and triumphant testimonies of survivors in order to galvanize hope and vision.