In an effort to ensure students are nourished, healthy and thriving, the University of Hawaiʻi–West Oʻahu is offering free, fresh produce—available for students to pick up while supplies last, from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Mondays and Tuesdays throughout October at the Nāulu Center.
UH West Oʻahu launched this pilot program to address food insecurity on October 2, in collaboration with UH Mānoa Student Life & Development’s Food Vault Hawaiʻi program. Food Vault Hawaiʻi has a partnership with Aloha Harvest, the largest food rescue and redistribution organization in Hawaiʻi, to recover unsold produce and bread from designated sites.
UH West Oʻahu’s designated site is the Hawaiʻi Farm Bureau’s Mililani Farmers’ Market, which operates Sundays at Mililani High School.
“As part of this program, we commit to recovering whatever the farmers’ market vendors would like to donate,” said Jan Javinar, specialist faculty in student affairs at UH West Oʻahu. “On Monday mornings, a team volunteers to pre-bag the goods, working to ensure that there’s an equitable mix of items in each bag.”
The first week’s offerings included items such as kale, papaya and various breads. The pilot project was launched at the campus with the help of volunteer staff, faculty and students who work in student affairs.
“Needless to say, the students were appreciative of the free produce,” Javinar said.
The remaining dates of distribution at UH West Oʻahu are October 16–17, 23–24 and 30–31. UH West Oʻahu students who pick up produce must present their UH ID card or UH username.
Javinar said the campus will assess the pilot project at the end of October.
Read more at Ka Puna o Kaloʻi.
—by Zenaida Serrano Arvman
