Consuming food is vital to maintaining life. Consuming healthy food is vital to maintaining good health.
Consuming food is vital to maintaining life. Consuming healthy food is vital to maintaining good health.
Having adequate fresh and healthy food available and affordable can be a challenge in many island communities. FoodCorps was established to address these issues in a variety of ways. FoodCorps Hawaii has eight service members and a coordinator. Hosted this year by the Kohala Center, they began serving in our schools in September.
FoodCorps began when President Barack Obama signed the Kennedy Serve America Act in 2009. This legislation made it possible for AmeriCorps to expand its national community service programs to include one that would promote a more sustainable, healthful and equitable food system. AmeriCorps supplies roughly 20 percent of the funding for FoodCorps programs.
Several organizations worked to get FoodCorps started and others have joined with them to continue funding the program. Its founders were concerned that children were growing up in a fast-food nation where one in four struggles with hunger while one in three is obese. Only 2 percent of children were eating the USDA recommended number of fruits and vegetables. And one in three children born in 2000 was on track to develop type II diabetes.
With active programs in 15 states, FoodCorps is having an impact. Nearly 70,000 children have been served in more than 400 garden projects and more than 3,000 volunteers have helped FoodCorps programs in their communities.
In Hawaii, FoodCorps service members are currently stationed in eight schools on four islands, all with a commitment to public service in our school food systems. These dedicated individuals will spend the year expanding hands-on school nutrition programs, building and maintaining school gardens and helping to get high-quality, locally produced food into schools. The program teaches students about the sources of the food they eat, while helping them learn to grow healthy food and enjoy eating what they grow. The hope is that connecting kids to the food they eat will help them grow up healthy.
FoodCorps service members must be at least 18 years old, have graduated from high school or passed their GED tests and have an interest in being educators and community organizers. Jessica Sobocinski is serving at Honaunau Elementary School, while Jolyne Oyama serves in Naalehu and Julia Nemoto is helping at Waimea Middle School’s Malaai garden. Kohala Elementary has Jane Lee as its FoodCorps server and Kua O Ka La Public Charter School is served by Leinaala Kealoha.
Amelia Pedini is the team leader for the Hawaii FoodCorps, overseeing the local program and serving as a liaison between the local and national organizations. She held the same position in Santa Fe, N.M., last year and had several years of experience with AmeriCorps programs prior to joining FoodCorps.
Those serving in Hawaii are challenged to help reduce the amount — nearly 90 percent — of food we import. Our unique advantage of a year-round growing season can help. Through the Fresh Fruits and Vegetables pilot program with the state Department of Education’s office of child nutrition, the service members hope to be able to source locally produced seasonally fresh fruit and vegetables to supply their schools and communities from the growing number of small, organic family farms.
Now that the program is established here, new service members will be sought annually. Community leaders who are passionate about healthy food, farms and children might want to apply. Application information is available at foodcorps.org/become-a-service-member. If you are interested in volunteering to help local FoodCorps service members in your community, go to foodcorps.org/where-we-work/hawaii and email Amelia by clicking at the bottom of the page. You may also contact a participating school to volunteer.
Tropical
gardening helpline
Glenn asks: I want to plant some plants in or near my garden that will attract beneficial insects. Any suggestions?
Answer: Yes. Lots of flowering plants make lovely additions to a garden and will attract beneficial insects that are predators of aphids and other plant pests. Two magazine articles posted online can give you more information: organicgardening.com/learn-and-grow/flowers-borders and motherearthnews.com/organic-gardening/plants-to-attract-beneficial-insects-zl0z1005zvau.aspx#axzz2j9UsuSk7.
These are some of the plants that grow well here, are readily available and will make attractive garden borders.
c Bachelor’s buttons have pretty blue flowers with nectar that attracts ladybugs, lacewings and beneficial wasps.
c Sweet alyssum is usually available in area nurseries. This low-growing, border plant grows quickly, smothers weeds and is attractive to several beneficial insects.
c Borage produces edible blue flowers that bugs love. Available locally, this plant grows best in hot, dry locations.
c Anise hyssop is available locally and has lovely purple flower spikes with an anise flavor that can add a pleasant taste to salads.
c Fennel is a tasty herb with cream colored umbellate flowers that attract lots of beneficial insects.
c Comfrey is not a flowering plant, but is excellent for holding soil and preventing erosion while offering a hibernation site for insect-eating spiders. It also has medicinal properties.
c Queen Anne’s lace produces a white umbrella of flowers that attracts beneficial insects.
c Other insect-attracting herbs include chervil, coriander, dill, sweet marjoram, evening primrose, yarrow, lavenders and mints.
Email plant questions to konamg@ctahr.hawaii.edu for answers by certified master gardeners. Some questions will be chosen for inclusion in this column.
Diana Duff is an organic farmer, plant adviser and consultant.