To celebrate National Farm to School month, ʻĀINA Schools were busy with chef & farmer visits, connecting with the community at our recent Kōkua Learning Farm Fun Day, and harvesting fruits and veggies from their very own garden beds!
Chef & Farmer Visits
To celebrate National Farm to School Month, we invited chefs, farmers, and cultural practitioners to give presentations at ʻĀINA Schools all across Oʻahu. These visits are a great way to introduce students to healthy, “close to the source” recipes and local ingredients. We hope these visits inspire students to potential career paths, strengthen community ties, and increase health and wellness—all while appealing to student taste buds. Mahalo piha to our speakers: Sean Congdon (Finʻs Bagels), Dave Seegel (Little Plum), Mabelle Denuna (Mabuhaylicous), Sean Uyehara (& team) (Easy ʻQue), Emme Zimmerman (ʻĀINA Farm Stand), Sarah Hammond, Noe Neumann (Lokoea Farms), Kanaloa Bishop, Kamuela Bannister (Mālama ʻĀina Foundation), and Evangeline Baldwin (Mālama ʻĀina Foundation, Ke Kaʻa ʻEnehana)!
ʻĀINA In Schools at Kōkua Learning Farm Fun Day!
ʻĀINA Schools from Moku o Koʻolau Loa participated in our recent Farm Fun Day by hosting a booth to fundraise for their school’s ʻĀINA program! Garden Club participants from Sunset Beach Elementary sold produce and lemongrass tea while students from Hauʻula Elementary sold kūkui plant starts and Hū, a Native Hawaiian spinning top made from kūkui nuts. Mahalo piha to our students and ʻĀINA teachers for their hard work and to everyone who supported their booths!
Memorable Māla Moments
Students from Kahala Elementary have been hard at work harvesting their many fruits and vegetables, including their first bunch of bananas! Waikīkī Elementary Fifth Graders from the Sustainability Class repaired multiple ʻĀINA garden beds on campus with the help of their teacher Mr. Lawrence. Kailua Elementary harvested and prepped hundreds of kalo huli from their māla and shared it with members of the community. Maikaʻi nō!