Progress 11/01/23 to 10/31/24
Outputs
Target Audience:The Food Basket's Kokua Harvest Program targeted low-income residents across the County of Hawaii (Hawaii Island) who cannot afford or do not have the means to maintain a healthy consumption of fruits and vegetables. We were especially concerned with reaching children and seniors. As of October 2024, there were 158,170 individuals(83,463 households) in the state receiving SNAP benefits (https://fns-prod.azureedge.us/sites/default/files/resource-files/snap-persons-1.pdf). According to the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, in 2023, 12% of the state population is participating in SNAP. Of the state's SNAP population, more than 63% belong to families with children; more than 36% belong to families with seniors or with people with disabilities; and 46% belong to working families. The program also focused on recruiting volunteers and crop donors during this reporting period. Volunteers are anyone who is present on the island to attend in person events. Crop donors are anyone who has extra produce to share as long as the crop is located within Hawaii County. Changes/Problems:1a) There have been no significant changes or problems for this objective. 1b) The biggest challenge this objective faced was the withdrawal of a major partner's involvement during the previous reporting period. The organization has since shifted their focus and is unable to support the project. Additionally, concern has been raised about the liability of an organization organizing carpools of volunteers which needs to be thoroughly investigated before proceeding 1c) There have been no significant changes or problems for this objective. 1d) One significant challenge for this outcome has been tracking produce recipients. Our distribution partners are not able toconsistently and accurately track who our produce goes to (vs another donor's produce), and the amount of training required to achieve such data accounting was deemed too burdensome for our distribution partners, many of whom are volunteer-run and have fluctuation among participating volunteers. We therefore used the available data (how many distributions of Kokua Harvest produce each distribution site conducted, how many pounds were given to them, and how many clients each distribution partner serves) to find an average number of pounds given per person per distribution site per year (19lb). We then took the average amount of pounds given per person and divided that by the number of pounds harvested to come to the estimated total of 3,204 unique individuals 1e) There have been no significant changes or problems for this objective. 1f) The primary challenge of this objective has been the bottleneck at the freeze dryer. Freeze drying takes about 48 hours from start to finish and when working around the schedule of the publicly rentable certified kitchen, we are unable to keep up a consistent rotation of product in the machine. Additionally, the freeze dryer's capacity is much smaller than originally thought and can only produce about 5-10 bags of product during each 48 hour cycle 2a)The primary challenge of this objective has been the bottleneck at the freeze dryer. Freeze drying takes about 48 hours from start to finish and when working around the schedule of the publicly rentable certified kitchen, we are unable to keep up a consistent rotation of product in the machine. Additionally, the freeze dryer's capacity is much smaller than originally thought and can only produce about 5-10 bags of product during each 48 hour cycle 2b) There have been no significant changes or problems for this objective. 2c) There have been no significant changes or problems for this objective. 2d) There have been no significant changes or problems for this objective. 2e) The project has had a lot of success with in-person paper surveys, but the team is aware that in-person surveys and qualitative data has significant bias built in (for example, surveys collected at harvests are collecting data from people already predisposed to volunteer). The project has considered calling individuals from our lists of crop donors, volunteers, and distribution partners but understand that method to be socially perceived as intrusive and the amount of time it would take to call nearly 600 individuals would be astronomical and the time better spent elsewhere 3a) There have been no significant changes or problems for this objective. 3b) There have been no significant changes or problems for this objective. 3c) There have been no significant changes or problems for this objective. 3d) There have been no significant changes or problems for this objective. What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?The project has initiated several training and professional development opportunities. At each of our 346 harvests, we began with an introduction to the program and training on harvesting techniques and best practices, including how to identify common invasive species (specifically, Little Fire Ants). Additionally, the program team met monthly and participated in professional development opportunities in February, May, July, and Octoberfeaturing the following topics: food safety, volunteer management, SNAP outreach, and personal safety. Professionals were brought in to present to our team, answer questions, and deepen our team's understanding of a few foundational topics to our work. The project remained connected tothe Society of St. Andrew who presented again on volunteer management. We also connected withLisa Rhoden, Food Safety Director at the North Shore Economic Vitality Partnership who taught us thebest practices for food handling with a specific emphasis on food handling for gleaning programs. The program took advantage of internal expertise and invited two The Food Basket colleagues to our meetings. One spoke about the challenges SNAP recipients face,giving the team a renewed understanding of thebarriers to food access and the complexities involved in supporting those in need, while another led us through a self-defense class. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?The project proudly disseminates results in a multitude of ways. After every harvest, we send "mahalo" (thank you) emails to the crop donors and volunteers so they receive quick feedback and updates on their efforts. On social media platforms (Instagram and Facebook) and through our email marketing platform, we update our followers and recipients on our progress with twice a year (mid- and end-of-year) milestone updates. We also utilize opportunities such as holidays, hitting targets, and hiring new staff members to highlight the program's growth and successes. Our website continually displays the year's harvested pounds in relation to previous years and the table is updated with each successful harvest. For our distribution partners and recipients, we have designed posters from last year that feature the program's accomplishments and ways to get involved. Many of these posters are stilldisplayed prominently in distribution areas. The program manager presented the program at 20 events to over 600 individuals over the course of the reporting period. Events include: the 2024 Food Rescue Conference, aEast HawaiiCommunity Action Network meeting, a few beach cleanup events, a Master Gardeners ceremony, and a community revitalization event. As a program in a small community, we rely heavily on the "coconut wireless" (word of mouth) to share our progress which is one of the most effective ways to disseminate our story. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?1a)This project intends to continue increasing access to fresh produce by hosting glean events across all nine districts of the island and aims to host one glean per harvest leader per week for a total of 252 gleans totalling 32,256 pounds harvested and distributed 1b) The program needs to identify partners to bring the "harvest hui" idea to fruition. Outlining a set of expectations for a potential partnership is one way we plan to proceed so that we may clearly identify the objectives for all involved 1c)Our harvest leaders will onboard new distribution sites specific to their districts by using traditional marketing methods such as posting flyers, attending community events, and networking within their districts. The program manager will continue to oversee online marketing channels and encourage distribution partners to work with us via social media posts and email blasts requesting community assistance in finding new distribution partners 1d) Additional glean events will lead to more pounds harvested and thus more residents reached, with an original goal of reaching 1,500 residents by the end of the next reporting period and an expanded goal, based on current successes, of 4,000 individuals 1e)To maintain our safety training skills, we plan to organize two safety trainings per year, with at least one including a practical component.Ongoing recruitment of volunteers will continue to include a strong social media presence, periodically posting flyers in strategic locations around the island, and asking our current stakeholders to share who we are and what we do to their networks. On Hawaii Island, word-of-mouth is still one of the best ways to connect to residents, so ensuring our current stakeholders have positive experiences with our program so that they are compelled to share about the program with their networks is a high priority. 1f) We aim to ramp up production of our value-added products in February 2025 with the goal of selling $4,200 worth of products by the end of the project period. Those funds will go back into the program, reserved for harvest leader salaries. 2a)We aim to ramp up production of our value-added products in February 2025 with the goal of selling $4,200 worth of products by the end of the project period. Those funds will go back into the program, reserved for harvest leader salaries. 2b) Gleans will still be the primary way of connecting residents to the local food system and they will be supported in the effort to strengthen community participation by volunteer opportunities to process value-added products. We aim to host 252 gleans over the course of the next reporting period to provide at least 252 opportunities for residents to engage with both the project and their fellow community members 2c) Ongoing recruitment of stakeholders (volunteers, site owners, distribution partners, and recipients) will continue to include a strong social media presence, periodically posting flyers in strategic locations around the island, and asking our current stakeholders to share who we are and what we do to their networks. On Hawaii Island, word-of-mouth is still one of the best ways to connect to residents, so ensuring our current stakeholders have positive experiences with our program so that they are compelled to share about the program with their networks is a high priority. We aim to see a 15% increase over the 2023-2024reporting period in each of the following areas: volunteers, crop donors, distribution partners, and produce recipients 2d) Program progress will be collected, analyzed, and turned into an annual progress report which will be disseminated online and at events 2e) Future program reviews with stakeholders include surveys and live interviews, using the same questions as the baseline cases to ensure consistency and as accurate a representation of change over time as can be achieved 3a) This project intends to continue presenting at appropriate community meetings and events, professional development opportunities for our hyper-local resident harvest leaders will continue on an ongoing basis, and collaborate with local organizations to spread the word about the program and its impact 3b) The Kokua Harvest project is working with a volunteer to write more cohesive and comprehensive social media and email marketing campaigns through which this project intends to focus on recruiting additional crop donors, volunteers, and distribution partners 3c) This objective was accomplished. Hosting consistent events throughout the island will helpstrengthen community ties bycreating regular opportunities for residents to connect, share resources, and engage with the program in meaningful ways 3d)The program intends to recruit additional crop donors, volunteers, and distribution sites using methods described earlier. Experience has taught us that many people benefit from repeated exposure so continuing our pre-glean event circles, talking about the food system and Kokua Harvest's place within it will increase residents' knowledge
Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals?
1a) Conducted 346 harvests of fresh produce out of the anticipated 252, thus increasing the availability of 60,876pounds of food (out of an anticipated 32,256pounds) to the Hawaii Island community and reducing the same number of pounds that would have been left in the field 1b) None to report 1c)Increased access by enhancing Kokua Harvest's (KH) distribution network from a total of 53 partners to 57, increasing the ease of access to fresh produce across the island 1d)Increased produce recipients from 1,268 to 3,204individuals (an increase of 153% and 114% more than our goal of 1,500 residents). This increased access comes at an opportune time as fresh produce is in high demand and KH regularly receives fresh produce requests from individual residents and community partners. The produce is particularly welcomed by our kupuna (seniors) who have a hard time affording fresh produce at grocery stores and farmers markets and sometimes have specific dietary restrictions, logistical restrictions, or physical limitations that factor into what they can reasonably accept 1e)Enhanced volunteer coordination by rehiring one harvest leader (HL) positionand widening the position's jurisdiction so as to have more consistency for volunteers. Three HLs attended one volunteer management training conducted by the Society of St. Andrew, one of the oldest and largest gleaning programs in the United States.Two HLs attended one food safety discussion presented by Lisa Rhoden, Food Safety Director at the North Shore Economic Vitality Partnership to learn best practices for food handling to teach to volunteers at harvest events. Three HLsattended one SNAP outreach discussion lead by Tish Lundsford, SNAP Outreach Coordinator of The Food Basket to learn how to better engage with our low-income program participants 1f) In November 2023 we received our freeze dryer and started testing products and learning the machine. Over the course of the reporting period, the freeze dryer ran 7 complete cycles over 400+ hours. The program also started hosting volunteer work days at the certified kitchen to process oranges into frozen juice cubes that are later put into the machine 2a)See 1f. Nothing to reporton the voluntourism income stream 2b)This project successfully engaged with 106 unique volunteer individuals for a total of 1,108 volunteer hours, averaging 10.5 hours per person. These hours expand into deep personal connections between volunteers and crop donors, volunteers and community members, and volunteers with other volunteers. The community that has formed around the program is strong and reliable, with many folks meeting up outside of gleans due to their realized connections over food, place, experiences, and so much more. KH hosted two potluck events to continue to cultivate these relationships outside of the harvesting environment 2c)This project worked with 106 unique volunteers, 118 unique crop donors, 57 unique distribution partners, and an estimated 3,204produce recipients. These numbers represent a 51% increase of volunteers, 64% increase of crop donors, 119% increase of distribution partners, and a 153% increase in produce recipients over the previous reporting period. We work with people from all nine districts of the island at all income levels (<$25,000-$200,000+ annual income), various employment statuses ("retired" is one of the most common), and ages ranging from children to those 18-74 years old. The program utilized various means to connect with new participants and keep old ones engaged including setting up two onboarding newsletters, one for new crop donors and one for new volunteers. These newsletters are sent once a week for three weeks to keep us top of mind for new participants and culminate in an optional survey about their first experience.Stickers continued tobea popular item and volunteers proudly display theirs everywhere from their car bumpers to their water bottles, increasing the project's exposure innumerably 2d)This project disseminated program progress through 20events, engaging with over 600 people over the reporting period, including at the 2024 Food Rescue Conference, and multiple presentations and talks to community groups across the nine districts of the island 2e) Nothing to report 3a)This project attended 20 outreach events, engaging with over 600 people over the reporting period and maintains a well-followed social media presence which has recruited at least twenty different volunteers and crop donors. The project posted flyers across the island, focusing on the North Hilo and Kau communitieswhich resulted in at least 10additional crop donors and volunteers. 3b)This project successfully engaged with 106 unique volunteer individuals for a total of 1,108 volunteer hours, averaging 10.5 hours per person. There was a 51% increase in unique volunteers who participated and a 128% increase in volunteer hours. 44% of volunteers were repeat volunteers (volunteers who came to more than one glean event). The program utilized various means to connect with new participants and keep old ones engaged including setting up two onboarding newsletters, one for crop donors titled "The Citrus Press" and one for volunteers, titled "The Lemon Drop". Stickers were also a very popular item and volunteers proudly display theirs everywhere from their car bumper to their water bottles, increasing the project's exposure innumerably. 3c) The program has hired and onboarded five total harvest leaders to work in their districts. One left their role in Jan 2024 and the position was rehired in Aug 2024. These harvest leaders have deep community ties and great passion for the work of The Food Basket and the Kokua Harvest Project. Harvest leaders were hired for the districts of: North & South Hilo, Puna, and South Kona, covering almost half of Hawaii Island's nine districts. The program manager is responsible for harvests in the remaining districts. 3d)At each of the 346 harvests conducted, KH staff gave an overview of the food system circle, emphasizing the roles crop donors and volunteers were participating in at that moment. Distribution sites were encouraged to share the project's role in delivering fresh produce to their distributions and supported in the effort by clearly communicating KH's processes, including a project overview and the cycle of fruit in the field to fruit in their hands. While harvesting, conversations happen naturally and we have found volunteers to be particularly interested in the history and future plans of the project. We share experiences and connect folks to resources at harvests and distributions. This reporting period, we noticed an increase in volunteers' willingness and desire to help us distribute the produce we harvest so we created procedures to streamline that process as we didn't want our data collection process to hinder volunteers' abilities to get involved in the food system in the way they wanted
Publications
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Progress 11/01/22 to 10/31/23
Outputs
Target Audience:The Food Basket's Kokua Harvest Program targetedlow-income residents across the County of Hawaii (Hawaii Island) who cannot afford or do not have the means to maintain a healthy consumption of fruits and vegetables. We are especially concerned about reaching families with children and kupuna (Hawaiian for "seniors"). As of August 2023, there were 157,544 individuals (84,403 households) in the state receiving SNAP benefits. According to the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, in 2023, 12% of the state population is participating in SNAP. Of the state's SNAP population, more than 63% belong to families with children; more than 36% belong to families with seniors or with people with disabilities; and 46% belong to working families. The program also focused on recruiting volunteers and crop donors during this reporting period. Volunteers are anyone who is present on the island to attend in person events. Crop donors are anyone who has extra produce to share as long as the crop is located within Hawaii County. Changes/Problems:1a)There have been no significant changes or problems for this objective. 1b)The biggest challenge this objective faced was the withdrawal of a major partner's involvement. The organization's executive director was supportive of the "harvest hui" plan but resigned from the organization which left a large hole in the organization's ability to support partners. Additionally, concern has been raised about the liability of an organization organizing carpools of volunteers which needs to be thoroughly investigated before proceeding. 1c)There have been no significant changes or problems for this objective. 1d)One significant challenge for this outcome has been tracking produce recipients. Our distribution partners are not able to consistently and accurately track who our produce goes to (vs another donor's produce), and the amount of training required to achieve such data accounting was deemed too burdensome for our distribution partners, many of whom are volunteer-run and have fluctuation among participating volunteers. We therefore used the available data (how many distributions of Kokua Harvest produce each distribution site conducted, how many pounds were given to them, and how many clients each distribution partner serves) to find an average number of pounds given per person per distribution site per year (19lb). We then took the average amount of pounds given per person and divided that by the number of pounds harvested to come to the estimated total of 1,268 unique individuals. 1e)There have been no significant changes or problems for this objective. 1f)Two major challenges occurred for this objective. 1) Fresh produce has been in high demand by all of our distribution partners. We regularly receive requests for produce drop offs and cannot meet the demand for fresh produce. It was therefore decided to delay the initiation of the value-added products line so that we could directly respond to the community's needs. While the value-added products pilot was delayed, the program manager was able to complete a value-added products course which focused on everything producers need to know before and during value-added products creation; 2) The Hilo Food Hub requires specific documentation in order to rent out their kitchen and due to circumstances out of our control, we were delayed in getting the required documentation. Fortunately, the missing required document was received and successfully submitted to the Hilo Food Hub in September 2023. 2a)Two major challenges occurred for this objective. 1) Fresh produce has been in high demand by all of our distribution partners. We regularly receive requests for produce drop offs and cannot meet the demand for fresh produce. It was therefore decided to delay the initiation of the value-added products line so that we could directly respond to the community's needs. While delayed, the program manager was able to complete a value-added products course which focused on everything producers need to know before and during value-added products creation; 2) The Hilo Food Hub requires specific documentation in order to rent out their kitchen and due to circumstances out of our control, we were delayed in getting the required documentation. Fortunately, the missing required document was received in September 2023. 2b)There have been no significant changes or problems for this objective. 2c)There have been no significant changes or problems for this objective. 2d)There have been no significant changes or problems for this objective. 2e)The project has had a lot of success with in-person paper surveys, but the team is aware that in-person surveys and qualitative data has significant bias built in (for example, surveys collected at harvests are collecting data from people already predisposed to volunteer). The project has considered calling individuals from our lists of crop donors, volunteers, and distribution partners but understand that method to be socially perceived as intrusive and the amount of time it would take to call nearly 600 individuals would be astronomical and the time better spent elsewhere. 3a)There have been no significant changes or problems for this objective. 3b)There have been no significant changes or problems for this objective. 3c)There have been no significant changes or problems for this objective. 3d)There have been no significant changes or problems for this objective. What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?The project has initiated several training and professional development opportunities. At each of our 172 harvests, we began with an introduction to the program and training on harvesting techniques and best practices, including how to identify common invasive species (specifically, Little Fire Ants). Additionally, the program team met monthly and participated in professional development opportunities in April, June, and September, featuring the following topics: invasive species identification, volunteer management, gleaning on Hawaii Island, and gleaning legalities and liability. Professionals were brought in to present to our team, answer questions, and deepen our team's understanding of a few foundational topics to our work. Through the Association of Gleaning Organizations, the project connected with the Society of St. Andrew to present on volunteer management and The Center for Agriculture & Food Systems, Vermont Law and Graduate School to present on the legal factors of gleaning. Big Island Invasive Species Committee, a project of the University of Hawaii - Pacific Cooperative Studies Unit, presented on invasive species identification to boost our team's ability to identify invasive species when out harvesting in our community and what to do when we see a problematic species. Seaview Performing Arts Center for Education's gleaning program, Out on a Limb, presented to the team what they are working on in Seaview, Hawaii Island and offered the opportunity to collaborate on best practices. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?The project proudly disseminates results in a multitude of ways. After every harvest, we send "mahalo" (thank you) emails to the crop donors and volunteers so they receive quick feedback and updates on their efforts. On social media platforms (Instagram and Facebook) and through our email marketing platform, we update our followers and recipients on our progress with twice a year (mid- and end-of-year) milestone updates. We also utilize opportunities such as holidays, hitting targets, and hiring new staff members to highlight the program's growth and successes. Our website continually displays the year's harvested pounds in relation to previous years and the table is updated with each successful harvest. For our distribution partners and recipients, we have designed posters that feature the program's accomplishments and ways to get involved. These posters are to be displayed prominently in distribution areas. The program manager presented the program at nine events to over 200 individuals over the course of the reporting period. Events include: one Hawaii Island Food Alliance meeting, a County of Hawaii Climate Action event, and one of East Hawaii's Community Action Network meetings. As a program in a small community, we also rely on the "coconut wireless" (word of mouth) to share our progress which is one of the most effective ways to disseminate our story. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?1a)This project intends to continue increasing access to fresh produce by hosting glean events across all nine districts of the island and aims to host one glean per harvest leader per week for a total of 252 gleans totalling 32,256 pounds harvested and distributed. 1b)?We will disseminate surveys to our network of partners to determine if the "harvest hui" idea is still something that is desired. We plan to evaluate the data collected by the surveys to determine how best to proceed. Additionally, the project's database has a built in carpool feature that we will explore the function of, including researching and seeking advice around the potential liability challenges. 1c)Our harvest leaders will onboard new distribution sites specific to their districts by using traditional marketing methods such as posting flyers, attending community events, and networking within their districts. The program manager will continue to oversee online marketing channels and encourage distribution partners to work with us via social media posts and email blasts requesting community assistance in finding new distribution partners. 1d)Additional glean events will lead to more pounds harvested and thus more residents reached, with a goal of reaching 1,500 residents by the end of the next reporting period. 1e)In order to respond to potential minor harvest accidents, the program manager is arranging a basic first aid training for all harvest leaders. Ongoing recruitment of volunteers will continue to include a strong social media presence, periodically posting flyers in strategic locations around the island, and asking our current stakeholders to share who we are and what we do to their networks. On Hawai?i Island, word-of-mouth is still one of the best ways to connect to residents, so ensuring our current stakeholders have positive experiences with our program so that they are compelled to share about the program with their networks is a high priority. 1f)We aim to receive our Department of Health certification by January 2023 so that we can start selling value-added produce to our community by January/February 2023. Our goal is to sell $4,200 worth of products by the end of June 2024 and to put those funds back into the program, reserved for harvest leader salaries. 2a)This project aims to receive our Hawaii State Department of Health certification by January 2023 so that we can start selling value-added produce to our community. We will also work on establishing protocols for communicating between harvest leaders and the program manager when a crop is best suited for processing so that the team can best coordinate harvesting and processing. This project is also researching different sales platforms to determine the best course to take for selling the products with the goal of selling $4,200 worth of value-added products by June 2024. 2b)Gleans will still be the primary way of connecting residents to the local food system and they will be supported in the effort to strengthen community participation by volunteer opportunities to process value-added products. We aim to host 252 gleans over the course of the next reporting period to provide 252 opportunities for residents to engage with both the project and their fellow community members. 2c)Ongoing recruitment of stakeholders (volunteers, site owners, distribution partners, and recipients) will continue to include a strong social media presence, periodically posting flyers in strategic locations around the island, and asking our current stakeholders to share who we are and what we do to their networks. On Hawaii Island, word-of-mouth is still one of the best ways to connect to residents, so ensuring our current stakeholders have positive experiences with our program so that they are compelled to share about the program with their networks is a high priority. We aim to see a 15% increase over the 2022-2023 reporting period in each of the following areas: volunteers, crop donors, distribution partners, and produce recipients over the next reporting period. 2d)Program progress will be collected, analyzed, and turned into an annual progress report which will be disseminated online and at events such as the Hawaii Island Community Food Summit. 2e)Future program reviews with stakeholders include surveys and live interviews, using the same questions as the baseline cases to ensure consistency and as accurate a representation of change over time as can be achieved. 3a)Over the course of the next reporting period this project aims to print "active harvest" signs so that passing residents know what is happening and can get quick information for how to sign up to participate. This project also intends to continue presenting at appropriate community meetings and events. Professional development opportunities for our hyper-local resident harvest leaders will continue, with the next talk scheduled for November 2023 covering the topic of plant diseases. 3b)The Kokua Harvest project is working with The Food Basket's social media managers to create a more cohesive and comprehensive social media strategy through which this project intends to focus on recruiting additional crop donors, volunteers, and distribution partners. The proposed "active harvest" signs are also expected to contribute to additional volunteer and crop donor registrations. 3c)We will recruit, hire, and train one more harvest leader to recruit crop donors, volunteers, and distribution partners and lead harvests in their community. The two districts of North Kohala and Kauare being considered for harvest leader representation due to their extremely limited resources and a higher percentage of low-income residents compared to other districts. 3d)The program intends to recruit additional crop donors, volunteers, and distribution sites using methods described earlier. Experience has taught us that many people benefit from repeated exposure so continuing our pre-glean event circles, talking about the food system and Kokua Harvest's place within it will increase residents' knowledge. There is an opportunity for volunteers to take on additional responsibilities of helping harvest leaders distribute the produce which will increase their knowledge of the entire system and introduce them to new places and organizations.
Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals?
1a) Conducted 172 harvests of fresh produce out of the anticipated 126, thus increasing the availability of 24,089 pounds of food (out of an anticipated 16,128 pounds) to the Hawaii Island community and reducing the same number of pounds that would have been left in the field. 1b) None to report. 1c) Increased access by enhancing Kokua Harvest's (KH) distribution network from a total of 41 partners to 53, increasing the ease of access to fresh produce across the island. 1d) Increased produce recipients from 623 to 1,268 individuals (an increase of 104% and 27% more than our goal of 1,000 residents). This increased access comes at an opportune time as fresh produce is in high demand and KH regularly receives fresh produce requests from individual residents and community partners. The produce is particularly welcomed by our kupuna (seniors) who have a hard time affording fresh produce at grocery stores and farmers markets and sometimes have specific dietary restrictions, logistical restrictions, or physical limitations that factor into what they can reasonably accept. 1e) Enhanced volunteer coordination by hiring four harvest leaders and establishing protocols and best practices for scheduling, coordination, and data tracking. We also implemented an official policy to start each glean with a "circle" to make connections amongst volunteers and review safety information and best harvesting protocols. Two harvest leaders attended one volunteer management training conducted by the Society of St. Andrew, one of the oldest and largest gleaning programs in the United States and all four harvest leaders attended a presentation conducted by Vermont Law & Graduate School's Center for Agriculture & Food Systems on policies surrounding gleaning. 1f) Laid the foundation for the value-added product line by taking the necessary steps to register with a local commercial kitchen (Hilo Food Hub) and by enrolling the program manager into Groundwork to Grow: Value-Added Products, a month-long course focused on the production of value-added products offered by the commercial kitchen. The program manager completed the course in September 2023. 2a) The program manager successfully completed Intro to Grow: Agribusiness, a prerequisite class for Groundwork to Grow: Value-Added Products, a month-long course focused on the production of value-added products offered by the Hilo Food Hub. We also identified many crop donors who are interested in donating their crops to be used as value-added products and secured our position as a renter of the Hilo Food Hub's certified kitchen. The program manager successfully identified three potential voluntourism sites with the support of current crop donors. 2b) This project successfully engaged with 70 unique volunteer individuals for a total of 345 volunteer hours, averaging 4.6 hours per person. These hours expand into deep personal connections between volunteers and crop donors, volunteers and community members, and volunteers with other volunteers. The community that has formed around the program is strong and reliable, with many folks meeting up outside of gleans due to their realized connections over food, place, experiences, and so much more. 2c) This project worked with 70 unique volunteers, 72 unique crop donors, 26 unique distribution partners, and an estimated 1,268 unique produce recipients. These numbers represent a 44% increase of volunteers, 17% increase of crop donors, 0% increase of distribution partners, and a 104% increase in produce recipients over the previous year. We work with people from all nine districts of the island at all income levels (<$25,000-$200,000+ annual income), various employment statuses ("retired" is one of the most common), and ages ranging from children to those 18-74 years old. The program utilized various means to connect with new participants and keep old ones engaged including setting up two newsletters, one for crop donors and one for volunteers. Stickers were also a very popular item and volunteers proudly display theirs everywhere from their car bumpers to their water bottles, increasing the project's exposure innumerably. 2d) This project disseminated program progress through ten outreach events, engaging with over 220 people over the reporting period, including at a Hawaii Island Food Alliance meeting, two presentations at the annual Association of Gleaning Organizations symposium, and multiple presentations and talks to community groups across the nine districts of the island. 2e) In October 2023 participants were asked via survey to "select which of the following food systems roles does KH participate in?" 57% of respondents selected the correct answer ("all of the above"). Participants who chose any answer but "all of the above" received a popup explaining how the project participates in all food system roles. This increase and reinforcement of knowledge is essential for establishing the project as a long-term solution with roles in each area of the island's food system. 3a) This project attended nine outreach events, engaging with over 200 people over the reporting period and maintains a well-followed social media presence which has recruited at least ten different volunteers and crop donors. The project posted flyers across the island, focusing on the North Hilo community which resulted in at least 3 additional North Hilo crop donors in one week. The four hired harvest leaders heard from a colleague at The Food Basket to strengthen their connection to our larger organization to better serve the community when interacting with residents. 3b) This project successfully engaged with 70 unique volunteer individuals for a total of 345 volunteer hours, averaging 4.6 hours per person. There was a 40% increase in unique volunteers who participated and a 76% increase in volunteer hours. 37% of volunteers were repeat volunteers (volunteers who came to more than one glean event). The program utilized various means to connect with new participants and keep old ones engaged including setting up two newsletters, one for crop donors titled "The Main Squeeze" and one for volunteers, titled "Community Juice". Stickers were also a very popular item and volunteers proudly display theirs everywhere from their car bumper to their water bottles, increasing the project's exposure innumerably. 3c) In 2023 the program hired and onboarded four total harvest leaders to work in their specific districts. These harvest leaders have deep community ties and great passion for the work of The Food Basket and the Kokua Harvest Project. Harvest leaders were hired for the districts of: North Hilo, South Hilo, Puna, and South Kona, covering almost half of Hawaii Island's nine districts. The program manager is responsible for harvests in the remaining districts. 3d) At each of the 172 harvests conducted, KH staff gave an overview of the food system circle, emphasizing the roles crop donors and volunteers were participating in at that moment. Distribution sites were encouraged to share the project's role in delivering fresh produce to their distributions and supported in the effort by clearly communicating KH's processes, including a project overview and the cycle of fruit in the field to fruit in their hands. While harvesting, conversations happen naturally and we have found volunteers to be particularly interested in the history and future plans of the project. We share experiences and connect folks to resources at harvests and distributions.
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