ʻO Abby Zarate koʻu inoa, a ʻo wau he University of Texas Medical Branch (UTMB) dietetic intern. Ua hele mai au i ka Galveston Country Food Bank no koʻu huli kaiāulu. ʻEhā pule koʻu hoʻololi ʻana ma Malaki a me ʻApelila. I koʻu manawa hele au e hana ma nā papahana hoʻonaʻauao like ʻole. Ua hoʻohana au i ka haʻawina e pili ana i nā hōʻike e like me Color Me Healthy, Organwise Guys, a me MyPlate My Family no nā papahana SNAP-ED, Farmers Market a me Corner Store. ʻO kekahi papahana aʻu i hana ai ʻo ia ka Homebound Nutritional Outreach Program i kākoʻo ʻia e ka Senior Hunger Grant Initiative. Ua hoʻohana ʻia ʻo Color Me Healthy no nā keiki 4 a hiki i 5. ʻO ka haʻawina e pili ana i nā hōʻike e pili ana i ke aʻo ʻana i nā keiki e pili ana i nā huaʻai, nā mea kanu, a me ka hoʻoikaika kino ma o ka waihoʻoluʻu, mele, a me nā ʻano 5. Ua hoʻohana ʻia ʻo MyPlate for My Family no nā hōʻikeʻike kuke no nā mākua a me nā keiki kula waena. Ua hōʻike ʻia kēlā me kēia haʻawina me kahi meaʻai kūpono.

ʻOiai e hana ana ma ka papahana hale kūʻai kihi, ua hana mākou me kahi hale kūʻai ma Galveston Island e hoʻonui i nā koho olakino i kā lākou hale kūʻai. Ua hauʻoli ka luna hale kūʻai i ke komo ʻana mai iā mākou e kōkua i ka hāʻawi ʻana i nā koho olakino a aʻo iā ia. No ke kōkua ʻana i ke aʻo ʻana iā ia a me nā mea hale kūʻai ʻē aʻe, ua hana au i alakaʻi e aʻo iā lākou i nā mea e nānā ai i nā meaʻai olakino, pehea e hoʻonui ai i kā lākou hui hale kūʻai, a me nā papahana federal e hiki ai iā lākou ke ʻae me kekahi mau kūlana.

I loko o kēia mau pule ʻehā, ua aʻo nui au e pili ana i ka launa pū ʻana o GCFB me nā kaiāulu a puni a me ka nui o ka hoʻoikaika ʻana e hāʻawi i nā koho olakino a me ka hoʻonaʻauao meaʻai.

I loko o koʻu mau pule ʻelua, e nānā a kōkua au i ka hoʻonaʻauao meaʻai a me nā papa kuke. E hana au i nā kāleka meaʻai, nā lepili ʻike meaʻai, a kūkulu i nā hana no nā papa. Ma hope o koʻu hoʻololi ʻana, ua kōkua au i ka hana ʻana i nā wikiō hoʻomākaukau. Eia kekahi, ua hoʻoponopono au iā lākou no ke kahawai YouTube GCFB. I koʻu manawa a pau, ua hana au i nā palapala hāʻawi no nā kumu hoʻonaʻauao.

I ka hana ʻana ma ka Polokalamu Pōloli Nui, ua loiloi au i nā pahu i hana ʻia me ka Ale Nutrition Educator, MS. He mea hoihoi kēia i ka ʻike ʻana i kā lākou hana ʻana i nā pahu ma muli o ka meaʻai maʻamau a me nā meaʻai i kauoha ʻia. Eia kekahi, ua hoʻohālikelike mākou i nā waiwai meaʻai i ʻōlelo ʻia no kahi kūlana maʻi meaʻai.

I koʻu pule ʻekolu, ua loaʻa iaʻu e hoʻolālā i kahi hana no nā mākua ma kā mākou papa ahiahi. Ua hana au i ka pāʻani Scattergories me ka MyPlate. I loko o kēia pule, ua hele pū au i ka hale kūʻai meaʻai ponoʻī o Galveston me ka waihona meaʻai. Ua hōʻike mākou i nā hana palekana meaʻai a me nā mākau pahi. ʻO ka ʻai o ka pule o 'garlic shrimp stir fry.' ʻO ka nui o nā mea kanu i hoʻohana ʻia i loko o ia kīʻaha i loaʻa mai ka mākeke o ka mahiʻai i kēlā lā. Ua hui mākou me Seeding Galveston a ʻike mākou i kā lākou ʻike no ka wā e hiki mai ana a pehea lākou e makemake ai e komo pū me ke kaiāulu. Hāʻawi kā lākou papahana i nā mea kanu kupaianaha a me nā mea kanu no ka poʻe e kūʻai i kēlā me kēia pule. Ua hiki iaʻu a me nā haumāna UTMB ʻē aʻe ke hele i kahi papa kuke Korean. He mea kupaianaha kēia hanana a ua wehe koʻu mau maka i ka meaʻai a me ka moʻomeheu Korea.

I koʻu pule hope loa, ua alakaʻi au i ka papa ma ke kula haʻahaʻa. No ke aʻo ʻana i ka papa, ua hoʻohana au i ka haʻawina e pili ana i nā hōʻikeʻike Organwise Guys. Hoʻokumu ʻo Organwise Guys i nā keiki o ke kula haʻahaʻa a aʻo iā lākou i ka ʻai olakino, inu wai, a me ka hoʻoikaika kino. Hōʻike kēia papahana i ke ʻano o nā kino a pau o ko mākou kino e kōkua ai i ka mālama ʻana i ke olakino a me ka ʻoihana, a pehea e hiki ai iā mākou ke mālama i ke olakino. Ua aʻo au i ka pule mua, ua kālele kēia pule i ke aʻo ʻana e pili ana i kēlā me kēia ʻano a me ke ʻano o ko lākou kōkua ʻana i ke kino. ʻO ka haʻawina aʻu i hana ai, ʻo nā keiki ke koho i kā lākou ʻokena punahele mai nā kāne Organwise. I ko lākou koho ʻana i kā lākou ʻoka punahele, pono lākou e kākau i kahi mea hoihoi a me kahi mea hou a lākou i aʻo ai e pili ana i ka ʻoka. A laila, pono lākou e kaʻana like i ka papa i kā lākou Organwise Guy a lawe i ka home e haʻi i ko lākou mau mākua.

ʻO nā mea a pau, hana nui nā limahana meaʻai e hoʻohauʻoli a leʻaleʻa i ke ola olakino ma o nā ala like ʻole. He hauʻoli a hauʻoli hoʻi ka hana pū ʻana me kahi hui kupaianaha e mālama nei i ke kaiāulu ʻo Galveston County.