UHCDC Visit #2 Hāna Community Kitchen Project ~ June 22-25, 2023

Aloha kākou,

Thank you so much to everyone for spending time with us and sharing about your community’s needs and concerns surrounding food security, educational pathways, and other opportunities for collaboration.

We very much appreciated the chance to visit and learn about Ma Ka Hana Ka ‘Ike’s work, Hāna School’s programs and facilities, and site visit to Hāna Tropicals. At this past Friday’s Farmers Market, our team set up a table display in the Hāna Business Council tent. There we shared general information about the food hub/community kitchen project and asked guests to participate in one of two surveys (community members or farmer/producer/entrepreneur). The surveys are brief (7 and 12 questions), and will assist us in understanding the spaces and amenities desired. Thanks to the enthusiastic help from Kamalu and Lehua, we were able to collect a total of 55 surveys during our 3 day visit! The surveys will be open through July 31, 2023, so we ask that you continue to share it far and wide. A QR code to our website is attached to this email, and the direct link is: Hāna Community Kitchen Project. I’ve also attached the surveys as pdfs that can be printed or filled out electronically and emailed back to us. At the close of the survey, we’ll be randomly selecting one winner from each survey category to win a $50 certificate to the Hāna Farmer’s Market.

Our next steps are to synthesize the feedback gathered from the surveys, select a preferred site, and provide conceptual designs for the facility on the preferred site. We will continue to engage with community members, farmers, producers, and others to capture as much input as we can. If you know anyone who would like to learn more or have questions, please provide them with my contact information. Mahalo!