A bright spot amid the gloom of COVID-19: Nonprofit Our Kupuna fosters community building

Prior to the onset of COVID-19 and Gov. David Ige’s “stay-at-home” order in late March, Waimea resident Sydney Limtiaco, a 79-year-old widow, relied upon county transportation services for errands. Via Our Kupuna, a statewide volunteer nonprofit program, she’s connected with her neighbors, the Hondas, who’ve provided the septuagenarian a lifeline for food and medications.

One of the bright spots in the ongoing COVID-19 story is a new sense of community building between neighbors who haven’t met before.