Tag Archive for: Lahaina Fire

Maui News: United Way Maui NCS Food Program

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KAHULUI–The Maui United Way announced Wednesday they have provided emergency stop-gap funding in the amount of $150,000 to a myriad of organizations, according to a press release from the United Way.
The project has been led by Common Ground Collective (CGC), according to the United Way.

The United Way stated that “CGC is dedicated to feeding vulnerable fire-impacted families on Maui’s West Side and providing a boost to local farmers.”

Common Ground Collective’s Maui Fire Relief Feeding program is a collaborative effort involving multiple organizations, including Hungry Heroes Hawaii (HHH), Hua Momona Foundation (HMF), and the Westside Community Resource Hubs (NapIli Noho and Pohaku Park Hubs). Together, these organizations are dedicated to supporting the feeding needs of fire survivors who face challenges accessing meals in the aftermath of the devastating Maui fires.

The Maui Fire Relief Feeding program consists of two parts: Meal Provision for Non-Congregate Shelter (NCS) Program Participants: This part of the program serves 121 individuals with prepped and packaged meals who rely on the NCS program for dinner but lack transportation to access other meals.

The second part of the program consists of the “Community Feeding Initiative”. The initiative supports approximately 11,105 fire-impacted individuals monthly, supplying produce, non-perishable items, and other essentials to those in need, according to the United Way.

“The Maui Fire Relief Feeding program exemplifies the power of collaboration and community support in times of crisis. Through the collective efforts of CGC and its partners, essential food assistance is being provided to fire survivors, ensuring they receive the support they need during this challenging period.”</span> Maui United Way Board Chair, Shanda Vangas said.

“The need for food assistance in the wake of the Maui fires has been significant and enduring, especially with the reduction of feeding services by other players. The sudden scaling back of these services left a gap that our community has been desperately working to address. I am grateful to the Maui United Way Board of Directors for moving quickly to help fill the puka so families can continue to have access to nutritious, culturally appropriate meals grown by Maui farmers.” said Jennifer Karaca, founding executive director of the Common Ground Collective.

“For years, Common Ground Collective has been a steadfast partner of Maui United Way. Previous grants since the fires have helped CGC and its hui allowed them to serve over 230,000 hot meals, 15,000 food boxes and deliver hundreds of thousands of pounds of food items to west side hubs daily, including fresh produce and proteins from local growers and suppliers.” said Makana Rosete of the project, who is the community impact coordinator for the Maui United Way.

 

Pacific Business News: Maui chef shares journey from farm to TV

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By Katie Helland – Reporter, Pacific Business News

Zach Laidlaw can put executive chef and television show contestant on his resume. Most recently, he was one of the contestants in the latest season of Gordon Ramsay’s TV show, “Next Level Chef,” which debuted on Jan. 28. He is also the executive chef and vice president of experiences at the Lahaina-based Hua Momona Farms.

The Aug. 8 Maui wildfires, which left 100 people dead and destroyed most of Lahaina town, impacted the farm, which closed 18 of its 60 sales accounts with restaurants, food trucks and private chefs, Laidlaw said.

After the fires, Hua Momona Farms pivoted to serving meals to displaced Lahainans and brought on Chef Jason Raffin, founder of the Chef Collective, a group of chefs that came together to feed vulnerable communities during the Covid-19 pandemic. The farm’s Hua Momona Foundation also partnered with another nonprofit, Hungry Heroes Hawaii, to help feed those displaced by the fires. With the help of volunteers, the farm prepares meals and HHH distributes them, Laidlaw said. To date, the partnership has served about 30,000 meals, he added.

Laidlaw spoke with Pacific Business News about trends in agriculture, the impacts of the wildfires and plans for the future.

What are you currently responsible for in this role? I take care of all of the private events we do on the farm. I oversee operations with greenhouse management, sales and work with Chef Raffin [to help feed those in Lahaina who are] displaced.

What trends are you seeing in agriculture right now? Being an organically managed farm takes a lot of labor, but honestly, that’s the way to go — and to control what you put into your food. That is the future right there. … I really do think that people are more health-conscious nowadays. You hear a lot about microgreens at farmer’s markets and a lot of health stores — and eating healthy. People are super health-conscious, and they want to look good and they want to feel good. It’s more about longevity, and it all starts with your diet.

You started your career in the kitchen but as an executive chef, you also handle more of the business side of the farm. How did you build that skill set? I’ve been cooking for about 18 years all around the world. I met the owner of the farm, Gary Grube, back in 2016 at a restaurant I was working [at] Chicago. He mentioned that he was starting a farm out in Maui. … I wanted to actually step out of the busy kitchens to start learning about how to grow my own food … and how to do things the proper way.

What strategies are you using to find and retain employees? It’s such a niche market on Maui, especially being on a farm and all. Honestly, you have to treat your employees with respect. You have to make sure they’re very well paid. … Everyone wants a sense of purpose. I think that’s what people want more than anything right now. So having them be a part of the big picture – that is what people are looking for.

How was the farm impacted by the wildfires on Maui? The day of the fires, I went up to the farm around 5:30 [a.m.], and we had extreme winds that day. It completely ripped off our roof on our 4,000-square-foot greenhouse. It literally ripped it right down the middle, folded it like a book. I basically walked into the farm [and it looked] like a tornado hit it. … We shut down sales for three months. The rest of the island was reaching out to us, but we were in such weird times. We were thinking about what to do next. What are the next steps? We knew that it was the right thing to do to start feeding all the Lahainans displaced. So, we brought on Chef Jason Raffin. He’s the founder of Chef Collective, and we partnered up with him, and we just started pumping out meals like crazy.

Is there anything else you want to share? I just want to bring awareness back to Maui. I feel like you don’t really hear about it on the news anymore. That’s why a big part of this TV show [is me] trying to bring awareness back to Maui: “Hey, we’re still here. We still need help. We still need funding. We need all the support we can.”

Grieving takes a long time. A lot of people grieve differently. And I know the world is crazy right now with tragedies all over, but please, please, please do not forget about Maui.

To volunteer or help fund the program to feed displaced residents of Lahaina, go to: helpsavemaui.org.

https://www.bizjournals.com/pacific/news/2024/02/08/executive-insight-chef-zach-laidlaw.html

Chef Zach Laidlaw

Executive chef and vice president of experiences, Hua Momona Farms

Address: 246 Keoawa St., Lahaina HI 96761

Phone: 808-862-6284

Website: huamomonafarms.com

Hawaii News Now: Local Harvest Gets Fresh Farm Produce to Maui’s Fire Victims

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Local Harvest, founded by West Maui resident Steve Phillips, is one of the main suppliers of fresh local produce from Maui’s farms to nonprofits providing meals for fire victims on the island. On September 1, 2023, Hawaii News Now reporter Casey Lund visited Local Harvest’s warehouse in Kahului to find out more about how the company supports local farms to provide food sources for the people of Maui. Steve Phillips also mentioned another project he’s working on – trying to provide tiny homes for all those people from Lahaina who lost their housing in the fire. To find out more about Local Harvest, visit https://www.localharvesthawaii.com/. If you’d like to support Maui’s fire victims, Steve recommends donating to the Hawaii Community Foundation’s Maui Strong Fund https://www.hawaiicommunityfoundation….

Lahaina Fire Response Aug 8, 2023

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Emergency Alert! Thousands of families on Maui have been forcibly evacuated from their homes due to the devastating fires. We’re on a mission to sustain the health of survivors and provide immediate relief.

Join our critical fundraising effort to amass essential resources: fresh food, water, clothing, and more. Our goal is to supply daily, hot, and nutritious meals to hundreds. We’re also assembling CSA boxes brimming with grains and produce, plus crucial items like toiletries. Urgently required temporary shelter will be set up too.

Our island is in crisis, and time is of the essence. Your support is a lifeline for those struggling in the aftermath of this disaster. Every contribution counts and will make a direct impact on our community’s heart, soul and survival.

Act now and thank you in advance for your heartfelt generosity!
Mahalo and Aloha, from our island home and its resilient people.

https://Hungryheroeshawaii.com

***UPDATE***

We are currently establishing multiple kitchens on the west (Lahaina) side of the island to starting cooking!!! We are using these funds to buy thousands of pounds worth of produce per week from local farms, wholesale direct. We have decided this is the most sustainable, long-term solution for providing fresh, healthy, hot meals to people on the Lahaina side of the island. This keeps the local farms in business so they can continue to grow food for the people of Maui moving forward, they are the back-bone of our community! We have been providing services to those in need on Maui for over 3 years and are grateful for the connections we have made along the way to bring this all to life. We feel this is the best way to continue to support both the farms (who have been donating food to us for years) and the residents who have been impacted by these fires.

We are also still cooking 300+ meals a day out of our usual kitchen at Anuhea Chapel and delivering to those who are living in their vehicles and/or on the streets all over the rest of the Island.

We are beyond grateful for your immense generosity and aware that this is going to be a marathon, not a sprint. Establishing solid foundations for the long term is our focus, so please continue to donate and to share this link so that we can continue to be of service to our ohana!

***PLEASE SHARE THIS***

Many, many, many mahalos!

Aloha-
HHH

Sponsored by Kaiaulu Kanaka 501c3.
For larger tax-deductible donations, commercial contributions or gifting of resources that are not monetary, please contact us using the form below and we will get back to you ASAP.

https://www.gofundme.com/f/HHH-FIRE-RESPONSE