W. M. KECK OBSERVATORY
SUBMITTED BY MARI-ELA CHOCK, COMMUNICATIONS OFFICER AT W. M. KECK OBSERVATORY
Yes. It is true when they say we are all made of stardust. Elements in the human body, from hydrogen, to carbon, oxygen, nitrogen, sulfur, phosphorus, and more, come from remnants of supernovae - stars that exploded and ejected material out into space. In astronomy, one of the profound life lessons we learn from the cosmos is just how deeply we are all interconnected with the universe, the world, and each other.
This important connection has in many ways been magnified by COVID-19. We’ve seen the ripple effect of the pandemic’s economic toll on friends, families, neighbors, colleagues, and community members, leaving many struggling to meet basic needs. We’ve also seen how people across Hawai‘i Island have come together in the face of this crisis to uplift each other and help build resilient communities.
It is in this spirit of community connectedness that our W.M. Keck Observatory ‘ohana felt compelled to kōkua. The question was…how?
This sparked a journey of listening and learning; community leaders in North Hawai‘i, where Keck Observatory is based, shared how severely COVID-19 has impacted local farmers, particularly small independent farms who are an integral part of our island life. We’ve connected with a dozen farms: ‘Ano‘ano, Hawai‘i Farming, Hawai‘i Ulu Producers Co-op, Hawaiian B Natural, Hirabara, HL Farm, Honopua, Huluhulu, JA Farms, Kawamata, Mother Nature’s Miracle, and Tess’s Gardens. All of these farms have left us in awe and appreciation of the nutritious, locally grown food they provide our community - harvested fresh, top quality, and great variety, brought to market without energy-consuming trans-Pacific shipping and employing local people who care about the community and environment.
We’ve also learned about the amazing volunteer-driven organizations that are stepping up to feed our community: Annunciation Catholic Church’s Food Pantry on Tuesdays, Honoka‘a Hongwanji Peace Committee’s Community Meal on Fridays, Kohala Food Hub, Kōkua Christian Ministries Food Pantry on Wednesdays, The Food Basket ‘Ohana Drops, St. Columba’s Community Meal on Tuesdays, St. James’ Community Meal on Thursdays, the Waimea Preservation Society’s Grab & Go Meals on Fridays, and more. They are the embodiment of kahiau – selfless generosity. Each is a major strand in the fabric of our community - holding it together, making it stronger.
This planted the seed for an idea that has now grown into Farms 2 Families (F2F), a grassroots, boots-on-the-ground initiative designed to help address rising food insecurity on Hawai‘i Island. Keck Observatory makes weekly purchases of produce from farms and donates it to community meal and food distribution organizations, as well as provides financial support of other food security efforts. Since April, our Keck Observatory ‘ohana has been volunteering to deliver the produce using our fleet of company vehicles, connecting local farmers with community meal distribution sites.
The number of families in need of food is sobering. Through F2F, we hope to do our small part of a much larger, intricate web of island-wide efforts to help bring nutritious, locally grown produce to dinner tables.
To all of the farmers and food programs we’ve had the pleasure of working with - we are grateful for all you do. You serve as a North Star for helping our community get through this crisis together – MAHALO.
PHOTO ONE: We will always remember how the community has come together in times of need; we’re inspired by the generosity of folks like Kohala Food Hub Coordinator Leslie Nugent (pictured to the right of Keck Observatory Administrative Assistant Merlita Evanoff and her son Matthew Evanoff), who help distribute healthy, local food to community members hit with economic hardship due to COVID-19.
PHOTO TWO: We are grateful for local farmers like Flavio Miche, owner of JA Farms in Waimea, who help provide fresh, tasty, locally grown produce to Hawai‘i Island families.