Kokua Harvest continues to blossom.
The Food Basket’s islandwide food rescue program — where volunteers harvest extra produce from farmers and gardeners who have an overabundance of crops that would otherwise go to waste — collected 15,628 pounds of fruits and vegetables for the nonprofit food bank and its partner organizations last year.
Since its inception in 2019, Kokua Harvest has steadily increased the volume of food it has collected, as well as its network of volunteers, crop donors and residents served.
After connecting with a crop donor, Kokua Harvest schedules a day and time to bring in volunteers to collect the fruits and vegetables that are offered. The harvested produce is washed, sorted and distributed to local organizations or directly to The Food Basket.
After reading about the program over a year ago, Jen McGeehan quickly decided to become a crop donor and gave away hundreds of pounds of citrus fruits and avocados from her orchard.
“It has just pained me to see so much fruit and produce go to waste when I’m driving around the island as a Realtor,” McGeehan said. “We have so many food banks, farmers markets and people in need, so it’s hard to see fruit fall to the ground, as it may not get eaten.”
McGeehan and her husband bought the Hamakua orchard about 10 years ago. Keeping up with the work at the orchard has helped them maintain about 80 trees that produce every year.
“I don’t pick as much as I used to with my job. When I do, it’s just a minutiae of what these volunteers can do,” McGeehan said. “When I found this program, it was perfect. Last year, the volunteers picked about 650 pounds of produce from our trees.”
On a recent Saturday, Kokua Harvest project manager Lisa DeSantis and volunteer Jennifer Martin harvested and packed more than 400 pounds of citrus from trees at a property in Laupahoehoe owned by one of McGeehan’s clients, who is selling his home.
In West Hawaii, Spencer Kelly owns a one-acre organic farm in Captain Cook with his wife. When they bought the property with mature trees, the couple did not realize how much the citrus trees could produce.
“One of our trees can yield thousands of taneglos at harvest time. We were looking at our trees, and we just realized that so much would go to waste, even if we were picking regularly,” Kelly said. “Finding Kokua Harvest was perfect, because we found a way to give back and share what’s already here with people around the island.”
After living in Hawaii, Kelly has found that being generous is part of the culture. And when volunteers come to pick fruit from his trees, he helps them and talks story throughout the day.
“People support each other here and are all connected in some way. We have and abundance, and it’s our job to utilize what we have and give what we can’t use,” Kelly said. “The heroes of this program are Lisa (DeSantis) and The Food Basket, because they have worked to connected the dots and make things happen. The more we do these small acts, the more self-sufficient the island can become.”
Between October 2019 and December 2022, Kokua Harvest — which includes distribution partners, 97 active crop donors and 114 active volunteers — harvested and distributed 29,231 pounds of fresh produce all over Hawaii Island.
“In our peak season, which is about September to February, we’re harvesting three to four times a week,” DeSantis said. “Depending on where we’re harvesting, we’ll give produce to that community. We want to keep things hyper-local to the donor site.”
DeSantis will give produce to The Food Basket, HOPE Services, Hongwonjis, other nonprofits and community organizations that are already interacting with the community and have a distribution network.
DeSantis and Martin recently gave lemons and other citrus fruits to HOPE Services in Hilo.
“This is the biggest part of our model — neighbors helping neighbors,” DeSantis said. “Kokua Harvest was founded on the island’s long cultural tradition of growing and sharing food. I’m excited to see the program grow as more people get involved.”
With The Food Basket continuing to provide food assistance to three times more residents islandwide than prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, food donations are critical.
“We are so incredibly grateful for the support from our local farmers, gardeners and homeowners and their generosity to ensure that their crops do not go to waste,” said The Food Basket Executive Director Kristin Frost Albrecht. “Their donations will help to keep fresh local food on the tables of our island neighbors in need.”
Nan Elmer is a crop donor in Kalapana and has been involved in working to curb food insecurity for years. While she thought about selling her citrus plants and juices, she has found that donating to Kokua Harvest has been a great way to give back.
“The volunteers that have come to my property have been safe, nice and have done a wonderful job,” Elmer said. “I hope more people can find out about the program and contribute, because I can only assume that there are so many people with extra produce.
“It’s wonderful to know that the food is going to people who appreciate it and need it,” Elmer added.
Those interested in volunteering or donating crops can visit kokuaharvest.org or call (808) 933-6030 for more information.
Email Kelsey Walling at kwalling@hawaiitribune-herald.com.
