Food insecurity impacts the West Side | Honolulu Star-Advertiser
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Food insecurity impacts the West Side
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MICHELLE BIR / SPECIAL TO THE STAR-ADVERTISER
Greyson Gilbert, a Wai’anae resident, carries hot meals for distribution at the Makaha Community Center in Makaha on Monday. Gilbert volunteered to help distribute meals to West O’ahu residents affected by food insecurity following Tropical Storm Lala
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MICHELLE BIR / SPECIAL TO THE STAR-ADVERTISER
Kalehua Kaopua, left, handed hot meals to an Oahu resident Monday during a food distribution event at the Makaha Community Center in Makaha
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MICHELLE BIR / SPECIAL TO THE STAR-ADVERTISER
Residents checked in for hot meals Monday at the Makaha Community Center in Makaha
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Tropical Storm Lala not only wreaked havoc on the Leeward Coast but exposed the compounding impacts that prolonged power outages can have on the vulnerable — access to safe food
At the Makaha Community Center on Monday evening, Anelalani Akao, who lives on family land in bushes behind the center, sat in a chair enjoying a hot meal. Her belongings were strewn around in the storm but she considers herself lucky, saying others lost their tents, power and clothes
In addition to clothing, the center has provided her with cooking supplies and utensils and she was thankful to have a warm meal after the storm. “It’s helped me a whole lot,” Akao said. “I’m so grateful.”
Housed within the Waianae Assembly of God, the center distributes furniture, clothing, food and essentially anything else community members may need. In its tenure, it’s become a hub for disaster response, first serving as a community supply center for about a month after the March back-to-back Kona Low storms
There were still more than 800 customers without power from Ewa Beach to Makaha on Monday evening, according to Hawaiian Electric’s outage map. Some
people told the Honolulu Star-Advertiser they lost power between 1 and 5 a.m. Saturday morning and either had power restored on Monday or were still without
“In a region that is one of the most food insecure in the state, to lose the only food they have during this time has been incredibly hard for a lot of families,” said Alicia Higa, Executive Director of Elepaio Social Services. “Especially with kids not being in school (Monday) and not getting their free breakfast and lunch, that’s also going to
be a factor.”
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Elepaio is distributing food for 350 families at Waianae Boat Harbor today at 10 a.m., at Nanakuli High School on Friday, and again at the Waianae Boat Harbor Aug. 25. The organization has been accepting monetary donations on its website to assist in their food purchasing
Pastor Abigail Eli, founder of the center, teamed up with Kelehua Kaopua, who has nearly 52,000 followers on Instagram, to gather and distribute needed donations and reoing so again for Lala was second nature
“I believe that people with a platform the size of mine should be doing this,” Kaopua said. “Because why else have a platform if you can’t use it for something good?”
Kaopua, who is also a candidate for state House District 45, connected with Farm Kine Tings, a food distribution nonprofit in Hauula, to bring 1,000 hot meals to the center each night this week. Exact times for food distribution each day will be available on Kaopua’s Instagram account,
@salti.wahine, and the service will continue until the power returns
Hawaii Food Alliance is scheduled to bring eggs, milk and bread to the center this morning to distribute, Eli said. She had also secured hundreds of twin-sized beds from a cruise line about a year ago and it just so happens that final delivery of mattresses is scheduled for today. The timing of it is extremely helpful for those who may have lost beds due to flooding or roof issues, she said
Eli said while food insecurity caused by power outages appears to be the most acute need following the storm, she also is collecting donations for adult and kid clothing, tents for the homeless and, tarps for those experiencing roof issues
Sea Country, a neighborhood in Maili, was hit particular hard by wind, said Kiliona Palauni. He said he spent his Monday with a team of more than 100 others chain-sawing fallen trees, pushing the pieces into mulchers, and then sending them out as wood chips. By evening, he was awaiting the next food delivery at the center so he could bring meals to Kaupuni homesteads, which still didn’t have power Monday evening
“It’s what you gotta do if you want a nice community,” he said. “It’s not gonna just be a good community unless you actively make it. That’s why we do it. You know, lahui things.”
Both Palauni and Kaopua said ice for food that can still be preserved is a critical need for those still without power
The west side of the island regularly has power outages, Palauni said, with outages occurring from the “smallest winds to the lightest rains.”
“This isn’t anything new to us,” he said. “I feel like its just neglect of the West Side. It just is underserved in every capacity of infrastructure.”
At the center Monday evening, Nanakuli residents Makalea Tavares and Darnele Victor both had just had power restored at their homes at 4 p.m. after losing it Saturday morning. Both of them were filling out SNAP reimbursement forms to help recoup costs from spoiled food
Victor had hardly slept since losing power — she depends on a CPAP to deliver her oxygen while she rests. She said this is the longest power outage she’s experienced — they do happen often, she said, but usually they resolve within the day
“Our freezer … and every thing inside is just gone,” Tavares said. “We have a car and we can move around. What about the kupuna that can’t?”
Keola Hoomalu, subsidized housing for elderly kupuna, was going on 24 hours without power after losing it Sunday morning. Teri Savaiinaea said she received a call from a resident reporting he was running out of battery for his oxygen tank, and several of the kupuna did not have ways to call for help because their phones had died
Within an hour, Savaiinaea said she was able to bring the resident an extra mini-generator and even found an extra oxygen tank battery to charge at her
solar-powered home and
deliver to the resident — it turned out her late-father used the same oxygen tank
Rep. Chris Muraoka (R-Waianae-Makaha) also helped bring a larger generator to the facility to help the residents charge their devices, she added. Monday evening, with the power still out, Savaiinaea delivered food from the Makaha Community Center
“It’s a total collaboration,” Savaiinaea said.
“Everyone’s working together to get it done.”
