End of Year ʻĀINA Garden Harvests

Several ‘ĀINA Schools have found ways to continue caring for and harvesting from their gardens while maintaining social distancing and taking extra safety precautions. Kainalu Elementary volunteers masked up to harvest kalo from their Grade 4 Hawaiian Gardens. Kahala donated their kalo harvest to school staff and the Chef Hui Community Give & Go Program where ʻĀINA Chef Mark "Gooch" Noguchi will add to meals for those in need. Sunset Beach Elementary (SBES) has regularly harvested and donated beans to Open Kitchen O‘ahu, another Give & Go Community Meal Program partner. Kalo huli harvested from the SBES and Solomon is being planted at the Kōkua Learning Farm in Hale‘iwa for distribution to schools in the fall.

Every school should firstly follow their school’s procedures and protocols for school garden access if/as approved by school administration. For schools that allow access to school gardens, the ʻĀINA In Schools Safely Accessing School Gardens During School Closures & COVID 19 Resource Sheet provides some general best practices for garden care during school closures and social distancing.