Mālama Kaua‘i Working for a Sustainable Island

By Léo Azambuja

Left to right, Alicia Hoelzer, Pax and Kahiwa Mahikoa at Kunana Dairy in Kīlauea. Photo by Léo Azambuja

A local nonprofit organization came up with a creative way to help Kaua‘i’s economy to bounce back while benefiting families, businesses, other nonprofit organizations and even the environment.

The Aloha ‘Aina Workforce Program launched by Mālama Kaua‘i is funding three months of on-the-job training for 24 local residents spread in 16 host sites around the island that are either practicing agriculture, supplying food for the community or doing conservation work.

“With the rise in unemployment and so many organizations needing support, it felt like a win-win to do a local workforce program for adults right now,” said Megan Fox, executive director of Mālama Kaua‘i.

Program coordinator Anni Caporuscio said businesses, nonprofits and food systems that had been impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic were encouraged to attend a webinar in late July and to apply to become a host site in the program.

To fund the program, Mālama Kauaʻi secured a $300,000 grant from the County of Kaua‘i, utilizing funds from the federal Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act, also known as the CARES Act passed by Congress in March.

“The host sites basically get free labor in return for training people for a new career,” said Caporuscio, adding Aloha ‘Aina Workforce Program is basically a “matchmaker,” matching businesses with displaced workers who can demonstrate they have lost their jobs or had their hours significantly cut back due to COVID-19. Their pay was set at $20 an hour, plus medical benefits.

Kalalea View Farm owner Brian Miller and farm worker Bri Elise. Photo by Léo Azambuja

Mālama Kaua‘i opened the job-application period on Aug. 6, and the response was “overwhelming,” Caporuscio said. Within a week, all the positions had already received applications — one of the jobs had as many as 40 applicants, while another had 20.

“I think that just demonstrates the need for jobs on the island for people to get off of unemployment,” Caporuscio said. “Also, the need for career-training and career-transition out of tourism (industry).”

Caporuscio said she believes this a really good program to train people in jobs that aren’t directly dependent on the visitor industry. These host sites use the island’s strength to keep people working, and to keep the community sustainable and resilient, she said.

At Kalalea View Farms just north of Anahola, Brian Miller was looking forward to train a new farm worker starting Sept. 1 in his diversified farm laid out in the shape of a mandala. A passionate farmer who is not afraid of experimenting with several different crops, Miller has a dream of one day producing food entirely for donation.

Ryan Wooton, vice-president of Kunana Dairy. Photo by Léo Azambuja

A little more up north in Kīlauea, Kaua‘i Kunana Dairy and Farm has been supplying the island with fine goat milk and ag produce for many years. Owners Bob and Louisa Wooton will welcome two workers to help with farm operations, commercial kitchen work and some construction and maintenance.

Four other farms — Rainbow Roots, Kuamo‘o, Kapa‘a Banana Company and Kumano I Ke Ala — are also host sites. Another five sites are food systems — Hawai‘i Food Bank, Hale Puna, Hawai‘i Farmers Market Association, Hawai‘i Alliance for Progressive Action and Common Ground Kaua‘i. Four sites work with conservation — Kaua‘i Forest Bird Recovery Project, Mālama Hulē‘ia, Kōkeʻe Resource Conservation Program and Reef Guardians. The last host site is the Moloaʻa Irrigation Cooperative, which hired an apprentice water systems distribution officer.

“It’s a win all around,” Caporuscio said. “Ideally, the host sites will grow their business enough that they will hire these people at the end (of the 12-week program).”

One of the intentions of the program, she said, is to retrain workers in a new career away from the visitor industry, a career that will benefit the island by building economic resiliency.

The initial goal was to hire 50 workers, but the grant received was half of what was requested, according to Caporuscio, whose position is also funded by the grant. However, given the success of the program, she said there are good chances for a second round, with different host sites and new workers.

Kalalea View Farm. Photo by Léo Azambuja

“We are applying for just every grant we can find to do another run of the program,” Caporuscio said. “The potential is good.”

Having data with proven results just makes it easier to secure grants, she said.

Mālama Kaua‘i was founded in 2006, focusing on advocating, educating and driving action toward a sustainable island. In 2014, Fox said, the nonprofit organized its first “green jobs” program, and since then it has been focusing mostly on agricultural internships.

The program has a direct correlation to Mālama Kaua‘i’s values, which considers the interrelatedness of all issues and the need for a holistic approach, with a focus on the love and connection to the land, the community and the local culture.

“We’ve always focused on localized economic development — being a micro-economy it’s incredibly important that we keep as much money on island as we can and get people back to work in less risky sectors,” Fox said.

Aloha ʻĀina Workforce Program Coordinator Anni Caporuscio is seen here with Delphine at a visit at Kunana Dairy. Photo by Léo Azambuja

Since the pandemic started, Mālama Kaua‘i has taken a leadership position in bridging the gap between food producers and consumers. Their online Local Food Connector is an invaluable resource for food accessibility. You can easily find an updated list of farmers markets, CSAs and deliveries, retail outlets and roadside farm stands. The website also lists opportunities for farmers, CSA boxes for kupuna and keiki, food pantries, feeding programs, gardening resources and food safety information.

“We did 12 weeks of local CSA distributions through a USDA program that provided 12,800 bags of local farm products to the community in need,” Fox said.

The funding for that program ended Aug. 31. Mālama Kaua‘i also has limited funding available through September to deliver produce to families with keiki who don’t have transportation to reach pantries and feeding programs.

On the farming side, Mālama Kaua‘i helped to launch the Safe and Stable Kaua‘i Farms Initiative with the University of Hawai‘i, College of Tropical Agriculture and Human Resources together with the North Shore Economic Vitality Partnership to provide food safety training and grants to a cohort of 40 farms, according to Fox.

A sunflower at Kalalea View Farm. Photo by Léo Azambuja

Caporuscio said there are still tons of uncertainty as far as how and when the economy will bounce back. “No one knows, everything is very up in the air.” But she said the more successful businesses have changed their operation model and what they can do and offer.

Fox said Mālama Kaua‘i is in the same boat as most small businesses, with an unknown future and operational funds running low.

“The majority of funding we are getting in is going right back out the door to support our community through current challenges,” Fox said. “I’m really not sure what 2021 is going to look like for us right now.”

Visit malamakauai.org to find out more about their programs. They also list volunteer opportunities and instructions on how to set up donations.