PRESS RELEASE For Immediate release July 9, 2020
827 Fort Street Mall Honolulu, Hawai‘i 96813 HawaiiCommunityFoundation.org
FOR MORE INFORMATION Contact: Cat Howland Hawai‘i Community Foundation (808) 260-5001 Mobile chowland@hcf-hawaii.org
OFFICE OF HAWAIIAN AFFAIRS PARTNERS WITH HAWAI‘I COMMUNITY FOUNDATION TO SUPPORT COMMUNITY-BASED FOOD SECURITY EFFORTS AMID COVID-19 PANDEMIC HONOLULU, HI – The Office of Hawaiian Affairs (OHA), through its $3-million Emergency Relief Package, has awarded the Hawai‘i Community Foundation (HCF) a grant of $830,000 to provide small grants to community-based food security efforts statewide. The grant supports HCF’s Strong Funds for each county, including Kaua‘i Strong, O‘ahu Strong, Maui County Strong, and Hawai‘i Island Strong, which were created by HCF to build community resilience through providing disaster preparedness, response, and recovery. The program will support efforts rooted in aloha ‘āina, sustainability and agriculture to address COVID related food needs. The program seeks to fund a range of efforts that perpetuate cultural practices while providing or distributing food or agricultural products that benefit and sustain Native Hawaiians today and for the long-term. “HCF is excited to partner with OHA to support community-based food security efforts to help feed and sustain people while perpetuating Native Hawaiian practices,” said Micah Kāne, Chief Executive Officer and President of HCF. Over 60 community-based organizations supporting food security efforts in each of the four counties have been invited to apply for funding through HCF. HCF will announce grant awardees in late July. “We need to make sure that our ‘ohana can put food on the table during this pandemic,” said OHA CEO Sylvia Hussey. “But for many of our communities, the crisis is making it hard to access food at affordable prices. So we are working with Hawaiʻi Community Foundation to support locally sourced food from area farmers and producers, and to help individuals who rely on fishing and other subsistence practices to mālama their families. Our hope is to help re-enforce the resiliency and strength of our communities.” For more information on HCF, please visit www.hawaiicommunityfoundation.org. ### About OHA’s $3-Million Emergency Relief Package
On May 8, 2020, the OHA Board of Trustees announced the approval of a $3-million emergency relief package to help individual beneficiaries as well as Native Hawaiian communities impacted by the COVID19 pandemic and associated economic crisis. About the Office of Hawaiian Affairs Established by the state Constitutional Convention in 1978, OHA is a semi-autonomous state agency mandated to better the conditions of Native Hawaiians. Guided by a board of nine publicly elected trustees, OHA fulfills its mandate through advocacy, research, community engagement, land management and the funding of community programs. Learn more at https://www.oha.org/. About Hawai‘i Community Foundation With over 100 years of community service, the Hawai‘i Community Foundation (HCF) is the leading philanthropic institution in the state. HCF is a steward of more than 950 funds, including more than 280 scholarship funds, created by donors who desire to transform lives and improve communities. In 2019, HCF distributed more than $63 million in grants and contracts statewide, including more than $7 million in scholarships. HCF also serves as a resource on community issues and trends in the nonprofit sector. To learn more about HCF’s response during coronavirus, please visit https://www.hawaiicommunityfoundation.org/coronavirus