Aloha ʻĀina ʻe mālama iā Puna
Nourishing every Hawaiʻi Island home with fresh, local food: channeling farm abundance and teaching the skills to turn harvests into healthy meals.
Status: in formation. Aloha ʻĀina ʻe mālama iā Puna is not yet incorporated and does not yet have 501(c)(3) status. This page is its prospectus: the plan and the steps to launch.
The plan
Aloha ʻĀina ʻe mālama iā Puna is a planned community nonprofit focused on food sovereignty in Puna. It pairs two kinds of work: getting surplus farm produce to Puna households, and teaching hands-on cooking so people can turn that produce into meals. Its founders are Shasta Fox, its director, and Chef Anthony Rinaldi.
Food rescue
Puna farms often grow more than they sell. The plan is to collect that surplus and bring it to households that need it.
Cooking skills
Free, hands-on classes so families can turn a box of vegetables into healthy meals. The first is a pilot class led by Chef Rinaldi.
Community food
Planned first-year projects include a community fridge and a holiday food drive.
Steps to launch
What has to be in place before Aloha ʻĀina ʻe mālama iā Puna can run programs and apply for grants.
- Hawaiʻi incorporation and an IRS 501(c)(3) determination letter
- A board, with bylaws and conflict-of-interest, whistleblower, and records policies
- A bookkeeping system that can be audited
- A balanced first-year budget and a program logic model
- Outcome measures: households served, pounds of food rescued, and cooking confidence
- Partnership agreements with at least 3 Puna farmers' markets and 2 anchor farms
- Insurance: general liability, auto, and volunteer accident
- Privacy and photo-release rules for participants
Get involved
We are looking for Puna farmers with extra produce, volunteers, community partners, and founding board members: a chair, a secretary, and a treasurer.
Write to us at shastaandziggy@gmail.com.