Aloha! ? ʻO Sarah Bigham koʻu inoa, a ʻo wau he mea hana meaʻai ma ke Kulanui o Texas Medical Branch (UTMB). Ua hele mai au i ka Galveston County Food Bank no koʻu hoʻololi kaiāulu he 4 mau pule ma Iulai 2022. He mea hoʻohaʻahaʻa koʻu manawa me ka waihona meaʻai. He manawa waiwai ia i hiki iaʻu ke hana i nā meaʻai, hana i nā wikiō hōʻikeʻike meaʻai, aʻo i nā papa, hana i nā palapala hāʻawi, a ʻimi i ka hopena o ka meaʻai i ke kaiāulu ma ke ʻano he mea hoʻonaʻauao meaʻai. ʻO ia hoʻi, ua ʻike au i nā wahi kaiāulu like ʻole i hui pū ʻia me ka Food Bank, aʻo e pili ana i nā kulekele a me nā papahana kōkua meaʻai, a ʻike i ka hopena o ka hoʻolaha ʻana i ka ʻike meaʻai i nā hui makahiki he nui.

I koʻu pule mua, ua hana au me Aemen (Nutrition Educator) e aʻo e pili ana i nā polokalamu kōkua aupuni, me ka SNAP a me ka Healthy Eating Research (HER), a me kā lākou papahana. Ua aʻo au e pili ana i kā lākou hopena kikoʻī i ka waihona meaʻai. No ka laʻana, ke hana nei lākou e hana i kahi hale lole i koho ʻia me ka meaʻai i kapa ʻia he ʻōmaʻomaʻo, ʻulaʻula, a melemele paha. ʻO ka ʻōmaʻomaʻo ke ʻai pinepine, ʻo ka melemele ke ʻai i kekahi manawa, a ʻo ka ʻulaʻula ke ʻano palena. ʻIke ʻia kēia ma ke ʻano o ke ala hoʻomaha SWAP. Ua aʻo pū au e pili ana i kā lākou hui pū ʻana me Seeding Galveston a me ka papahana hale kūʻai kihi kahi e hana ai lākou e hoʻonui i nā meaʻai olakino.

Pono wau e hele me Karee (Nutrition Education Coordinator i kēlā manawa) e nānā ma ke kula ʻo Moody Methodist Day School kahi aʻu i ʻike ai pehea lākou e hoʻohana ai i ka ʻO ka haʻawina Organwise Guys i hoʻokumu ʻia i nā hōʻike, e hoʻohana ana i nā kiʻi okena kiʻi e aʻo ai i ka meaʻai i nā keiki. Ua uhi ka papa i ka maʻi diabetes, a ua hauʻoli wau i ka ʻike ʻana i ka ʻike o nā keiki e pili ana i ka pancreas. I ka pau ʻana o ka pule, ua ʻike au iā Alexis (Nutrition Education Coordinator) lāua ʻo Lana (Nutrition Assistant) i ke aʻo ʻana i ka papa Catholic Charities, i uhi ʻia i ka palaoa holoʻokoʻa me kahi hōʻikeʻike o ka hummus a me nā ʻāpana palaoa holoʻokoʻa homemade.

Ua loaʻa iaʻu ke kōkua ma ka hale kūʻai mahiʻai ponoʻī o Galveston. Ua hōʻike mākou i ka hana ʻana i nā ʻāpana veggie a hāʻawi i nā leka e pili ana i ka palena o ka sodium i ka meaʻai. Hana mākou i nā ʻuala mai nā beets, kāloti, ʻuala, a me ka zucchini. Hana mākou iā lākou me nā mea ʻala e like me ka pauka kālika a me ka pepa ʻeleʻele e hoʻohui i ka ʻono me ka hoʻohana ʻole i ka paʻakai.

Ua hana au me Alexis, Charli (Nutrition Educator), a me Lana no ke koena o ko'u hoololi ana. I kaʻu pule ʻelua, hoʻomaka wau e hana me nā keiki ma ke kula ʻo Moody Methodist Day ma Galveston. Ua alakaʻi ʻo Alexis i ke kūkākūkā ma MyPlate, a ua alakaʻi au i kahi haʻawina kahi e ʻike pono ai nā keiki inā aia nā meaʻai i ka ʻāpana MyPlate pololei a i ʻole. No ka laʻana, e hōʻike ʻia nā meaʻai helu ʻelima ma lalo o ka māhele mea kanu, akā ʻelua ʻaʻole he mea kanu. Pono nā keiki e ʻike pono i nā mea hewa me ka hōʻike ʻana i ko lākou manamana lima. ʻO koʻu manawa mua kēia e aʻo ai i nā keiki, a ua ʻike au ʻo ke aʻo ʻana i nā keiki kahi mea aʻu e makemake ai e hana. Ua hauʻoli ka ʻike ʻana iā lākou e hōʻike i ko lākou ʻike a hoihoi i ka ʻai ʻana i ke olakino.

Ma hope o ka pule, hele mākou i Seeding Galveston a me ka hale kūʻai kihi. Ma ʻaneʻi, ʻike mua wau i ka hopena o ka pilina a me nā loli kaiapuni i ka meaʻai. ʻO nā hōʻailona ma nā puka a me ka hoʻonohonoho ʻana o ka hale kūʻai i kū mai iaʻu. ʻAʻole maʻamau ka ʻike ʻana i nā hale kūʻai kihi e hoʻolaha ana i nā huaʻai a me nā huaʻai hou mai ia wahi, akā he loli maikaʻi loa kēia i ka ʻike. ʻO ka mea a ka panakō meaʻai e hana ai ma o kā lākou hui ʻana i mea e loaʻa ai nā koho olakino ʻoi aku ka nui o ka mea aʻu i makemake ai e ʻike.

I koʻu pule ʻekolu, ua nānā au i ka papahana Catholic Charities. Ke aʻo nei ka waihona meaʻai i kahi papa ma laila, a ke hoʻomaka nei lākou i kahi moʻolelo hou i ʻAukake. I kēia manawa, e loaʻa i ka poʻe i komo kahi pahu me nā mea ʻai a pau e pono ai ka hana ʻana i nā meaʻai a mākou e hōʻike nei ma ka papa. Ua hoʻohana au i ka pule i ka hana ʻana i nā meaʻai, ka hana ʻana a me ke kiʻi ʻana iā lākou, a me ka hana ʻana i nā wikiō e kau ai ma ke kahawai YouTube ma ke ʻano he kōkua ʻike i ka hana ʻana i ka meaʻai. ʻO ia kaʻu manawa mua e hoʻoponopono wikiō, akā kūkulu wau i kaʻu mau akamai noʻonoʻo ma ʻaneʻi, a ua hoʻokō ia i ka loaʻa ʻana o nā meaʻai kūpono, hiki ke loaʻa, maʻalahi no ka poʻe e hana ma kahi kālā e ʻono maikaʻi!

Aia ke kiʻi ma ka ʻaoʻao o ka papa aʻu i hoʻolālā ai i koʻu pule hope. Ua hele pū me kahi palapala lima aʻu i hana ai ma SNAP a me WIC ma ka mākeke mahiʻai. Ma hope o ka loiloi ʻana i ke kaiāulu a me ka ʻike ʻana i kā Galveston's Own Farmers Market, ua ʻike au ʻaʻole nui ka poʻe i ʻike hiki iā lākou ke hoʻohana i ka SNAP ma ka mākeke, koe wale nō e hoʻonui pālua ʻia kā lākou mau pono. Ua makemake au e hoʻolaha i ka ʻike i ke kaiāulu ma ʻaneʻi i hiki iā lākou ke loaʻa i ka mea maikaʻi loa o kā lākou mau pono a hoʻohana i kahi kumu nui o nā huaʻai a me nā mea kanu e kōkua pū ai i kā mākou poʻe mahiʻai ma ia wahi.

Ua alakaʻi pū au i ʻelua papa i koʻu pule hope loa ma ka waihona meaʻai. Ua hoʻohana au i ka haʻawina Organwise Guys e aʻo i nā keiki ma waena o ka papa K a me ka papa ʻehā e pili ana i nā kino a me ka meaʻai maikaʻi. Ua hoʻolauna nā papa ʻelua i nā keiki i nā huaʻōlelo Organwise Guys. No ke kōkua ʻana iā lākou e hoʻomanaʻo i nā kino a pau, ua hana au i Organ Bingo. Ua makemake nā keiki, a ua ʻae iaʻu e nīnau iā lākou ma nā ʻōkana me kēlā me kēia leo o kahi okana e kōkua i ke kūkulu ʻana i ko lākou hoʻomanaʻo. Ua lilo koke ka hana me nā keiki i hana punahele ma ka waihona meaʻai. ʻAʻole wale ia he leʻaleʻa, akā ʻo ka hoʻonui ʻana i ka ʻike meaʻai i nā keiki i manaʻo nui ʻia. He mea ia i hauʻoli ai lākou, a ʻike wau e lawe lākou i kā lākou ʻike hou i ko lākou mau mākua.

ʻO ka hana ʻana ma ke kaiāulu, ma ke ʻano laulā, ua like me ka hopena pololei. Ua kōkua au i ka hāʻawi ʻana i ka meaʻai kelepona a me ka manawaleʻa ma ka hale ʻai. ʻO ka ʻike ʻana i ka poʻe e hele mai ana a loaʻa i nā mea kūʻai e pono ai, a me ka ʻike ʻana e hana nei mākou i kahi mea maikaʻi no nā poʻe, ua manaʻo wau aia wau ma kahi kūpono. Ua loaʻa iaʻu kahi aloha hou no ka hoʻonohonoho kaiāulu i ka meaʻai meaʻai. Ke hele mai nei au i kaʻu papahana ma UTMB, ua maopopo iaʻu makemake wau e lilo i mea ʻai meaʻai. ʻOiai he hoihoi nui ia iaʻu, ua lilo koke ka meaʻai kaiāulu i mea punahele. He hanohano ka hoʻolimalima manawa me ka waihona meaʻai a hui pū me nā poʻe he nui o ke kaiāulu. ʻO nā mea a pau a ka waihona meaʻai e hana ai he mea hoʻoulu a mahalo. ʻO ka lilo ʻana i ʻāpana o ia mea kahi mea aʻu e aloha mau ai.