Grocery bundles to be distributed Wednesday
The Ironman Foundation will hold its next drive-through Kahiau Together grocery bundle distribution event this Wednesday in North Kohala.
The distribution will take place from 10 a.m. to noon at Kamehameha Park in Kapaau. The bundles feature locally sourced fresh proteins, fruits, vegetables, and starches. This event’s theme is “A Meal Fit for a Queen” in celebration of the birth month of Queen Liliuokalani.
The foundation, Ironman’s nonprofit arm, has pledged $1 million to provide hunger relief to the island. Since last July, tens of thousands of meals have been served through over a dozen distribution events.
For more information on the Kahiau Together initiatives and IRONMAN Foundation programs, visit www.ironmanfoundation.org/kahiau-together.
Editor’s note: An announcement for this event published in Friday’s edition contained the incorrect location of the grocery bundle distribution event.
2021 Root for Innovation participants honored
This summer, Elemental Excelerator launched Root for Innovation, a new initiative that provides innovation and entrepreneurship learning experiences for Hawaii-based high school students.
The effort is part of Elemental Excelerator’s larger strategy to develop a climate workforce and inspire 10,000 climate jobs over the next five years in Hawaii and beyond, with a focus on career opportunities for underrepresented communities.
Root for Innovation, co-sponsored by the Harold K.L. Castle Foundation, matches high school students with Teach for America fellows participating in an externship with Elemental. Over two months, teachers and students worked in teams to research the climate tech innovation landscape, participate in the work of Elemental Excelerator, and develop curriculum and programming to be implemented at Hawaii public schools for the 2021-22 academic year.
“Achieving our state’s ambitious climate goals is going to take more than innovative technology, it requires bright minds and a highly qualified workforce,” said Tiffany Huynh, director of external affairs, Elemental Excelerator. “Root for Innovation is just one of our initiatives redesigning the systems at the root of climate change, while uplifting people and communities around the world.”
The 10 students, all of whom are juniors or seniors attending public high schools, worked in a virtual environment up to 15 hours per week, and attended up to two hours per week of professional development and learning opportunities. Students were selected from Aiea, Campbell, Nanakuli, Waiçanae, and Waipahu high schools on Oahu, and Konawaena, Kealakehe, and Kea‘au high schools on the Big Island. Upon completion of the eight-week summer program, each student receives a $1,500 grant.
“Climate technology is an important and exciting field that presents meaningful teaching and career opportunities,” said Alex Harris, vice president for programs at the Harold K.L. Castle Foundation. “Root for Innovation gives students and teachers valuable, first-hand experience of the inner workings of one of the world’s top climate tech accelerators – right here in Hawaii. We see this investment as a compelling opportunity to help prepare young people from Hawaii for the future.”
The Big Island students participating in Elemental’s 2021 Root for Innovation program were Sophia Burgess, David Jimenez, and Anuhea Spinola, who attend Konawaena High School, and Renny Kaholo-Hiapo, of Kea‘au High School.
HYF receives $50,000 grant from OHA
The Hamakua Youth Foundation was recently awarded a $50,000 grant that will support the Native Hawaiian community through the Office of Hawaiian Affairs (OHA) COVID-19 Impact and Response Grant. The funds will help to reinforce and strengthen Native Hawaiians’ connection with ‘ohana (family), mo‘omeheu (culture) and ‘aina (land and water).
With the grant, the foundation will embark on a year-long effort to support Native Hawaiian families from Kukuihaele to Laupahoehoe. Through this partnership, keiki at the Hamakua Youth Center will receive academic support while also participating in enrichment programs designed to share with youth the connections between Native Hawaiian environmental kinship, relationships between people and ‘aina, and awareness of the multicultural community of Hamakua.
The award also supports direct food assistance to enrolled families and community members by providing culturally relevant meal bags that connect youth learning with family well-being.
