Hui! ʻO Allison koʻu inoa, a he kanaka hana ʻai meaʻai au mai ke Kulanui o Houston. Ua loaʻa iaʻu ka manawa maikaʻi loa e komo ai ma ka Galveston County Food Bank. ʻO koʻu manawa ma ka Galveston County Food Bank i hōʻike mai iaʻu i nā kuleana like ʻole a me nā kuleana a nā mea hoʻonaʻauao meaʻai e lawe ai i loko o ke kaiāulu, e like me ke aʻo ʻana i nā papa meaʻai, alakaʻi i nā hōʻikeʻike kuke, hana ʻana i nā meaʻai a me nā mea hoʻonaʻauao no nā mea kūʻai aku o ka panakō meaʻai, a me ka hoʻomohala ʻana i nā hana kūikawā. e hoʻokumu i kahi kaiāulu olakino.

I kaʻu mau pule mua ʻelua ma ka panakō meaʻai, ua hana au me ka Luna Hoʻoponopono Polokalamu Hoʻohui ʻĀina Nui, ʻo Ale. Hāʻawi ka Senior Homebound Program i nā pahu meaʻai hou e hoʻokō i nā kūlana olakino kūikawā e kū nei ka poʻe ʻelemakule ma ke kaiāulu, e like me ka maʻi diabetes, nā pilikia ʻōpū, a me nā maʻi kīkī. ʻO nā pahu i hoʻolālā ʻia no ka maʻi maʻi maʻi me nā huahana meaʻai maʻalahi i ka protein a me ka haʻahaʻa potassium, phosphorus, a me ka sodium. Ua hana pū au i nā puke liʻiliʻi hoʻonaʻauao meaʻai e hoʻopili pū me kēia mau pahu, pili pono i ka puʻuwai congestive, ka DASH Diet, a me ke koʻikoʻi o ka hydration. Ua kōkua pū māua ʻo Ale i ka hōʻuluʻulu ʻana i kēia mau pahu kūikawā me nā mea manawaleʻa no ka hāʻawi ʻana. Ua makemake au e lilo i ʻāpana o ka hui manawaleʻa, kōkua i ka hana pahu, a ʻike i ka hopena.

Hōʻike ʻia he kiʻi oʻu ma ka ʻaoʻao o ka hoʻolālā papa aʻu i hana ai no Ianuali. Ua nakinaki au i nā puns meaʻai leʻaleʻa me ka hoʻomaka ʻana o ka makahiki hou e paipai i nā mea kūʻai aku a me nā limahana e loaʻa kahi hoʻomaka maikaʻi i kā lākou makahiki. I Kekemapa, ua hana au i ka papa kuhikuhi hoʻomaha no nā lā hoʻomaha hoʻoilo. ʻO ka pepa i hāʻawi pū ʻia me kēia papa ʻōlelo ʻo ia nā ʻōlelo aʻoaʻo hoʻomaha pili kālā a me kahi meaʻai sopa pili kālā e noho mahana i ka wā hoʻomaha.

Ua hana pū au i nā papa haʻawina a me nā hana no kekahi mau papa kula haʻahaʻa. No ka hoʻolālā haʻawina e pili ana i ka hoʻolālā ʻana i ka ʻai ʻohana a me ka hui pū ʻana i ka lumi kuke, ua hana wau i pāʻani pāʻani like no ka papa. ʻEhā mau papaʻaina i hoʻohana ʻia no ka hōʻike ʻana i ʻehā kiʻi: kahi pahu hau, kahi keʻena, kahi hale lole, a me kahi holoi ipu. Hāʻawi ʻia kēlā me kēia haumāna i ʻehā mau kiʻi liʻiliʻi e hoʻokaʻawale i waena o nā papa ʻehā me nā kiʻi. A laila, huli nā haumāna e haʻi i ka papa e pili ana i nā kiʻi i loaʻa iā lākou a me kahi a lākou i waiho ai. No ka laʻana, inā loaʻa i kahi haumāna ke kiʻi o ke kini pī a me ke kiʻi ʻē aʻe o nā strawberries, waiho lākou i nā strawberries i loko o ka pahu hau, nā pī i loko o ka hale lole, a laila e haʻi aku i ka papa i kā lākou hana.

Ua loaʻa iaʻu kahi manawa hou e hana i kahi hana no kahi hoʻolālā haʻawina paʻa. ʻO ka papahana haʻawina he hoʻolauna i ka OrganWise Guys, nā kiʻi paʻi kiʻi e like me nā kino a hoʻokūpaʻa i ke koʻikoʻi o nā meaʻai olakino a me ke ʻano o ke ola no nā kino olakino a me ke kino olakino. ʻO ka haʻawina aʻu i hana ai, aia kekahi kiʻi nui o ka OrganWise Guys a me nā ʻano meaʻai like ʻole i puunaue like ʻia ma waena o nā hui o nā haumāna. E kaʻana pākahi kēlā me kēia pūʻulu i ka papa i nā meaʻai i loaʻa iā lākou, he aha ka māhele o MyPlate nona lākou, he aha nā mea e pōmaikaʻi ai ke kino mai ia mau meaʻai, a me ke kumu e pōmaikaʻi ai kēlā kino i kēlā mau meaʻai. No ka laʻana, loaʻa i kekahi o nā hui he ʻāpala, asparagus, berena palaoa piha, a me kahi tortilla palaoa piha. Nīnau au i ka hui he aha ka like o ia mau meaʻai (fiber), a he aha ke kino i makemake nui i ka fiber! Ua makemake au e ʻike i nā haumāna e noʻonoʻo a hana pū.

Ua alakaʻi pū wau i kahi papahana haʻawina. Aia i loko o kēia papahana haʻawina kahi loiloi o ka OrganWise Guy, kahi hōʻike e pili ana i ka maʻi diabetes, a me kahi hana kala leʻaleʻa! Ma nā papa a pau aʻu i komo ai, ua hauʻoli loa ka ʻike ʻana i ka hauʻoli, ka hoihoi, a me ka ʻike i hōʻike ʻia e nā haumāna.

No ka nui o koʻu manawa ma ka panakō meaʻai, ua hana pū au me Aemen lāua ʻo Alexis, ʻelua mau kumu aʻoaʻo meaʻai ma ka waihona meaʻai, ma ka Project Corner Store Project. ʻO ka pahuhopu o kēia papahana, ʻo ia ka hana ʻana i nā hana no nā hale kūʻai kihi e hoʻokō ai i mea e hoʻonui ai i nā meaʻai olakino. Ua kōkua au iā Aemen lāua ʻo Alexis i ka papa loiloi o kēia papahana, ʻo ia hoʻi ka kipa ʻana i kekahi mau hale kūʻai kihi ma Galveston County a me ka nānā ʻana i nā huahana olakino i hāʻawi ʻia ma kēlā me kēia wahi. Ua ʻimi mākou i nā hua hou, ka waiu momona haʻahaʻa, nā kīʻaha holoʻokoʻa, nā nati haʻahaʻa-sodium, a me nā meaʻai hiki ke hiki, 100% wai huaʻai, nā ʻāpana bakena, a me nā mea hou aku. Ua nānā pū mākou i ke ʻano o ka hale kūʻai a me ka ʻike ʻia o nā meaʻai olakino. Ua ʻike mākou i nā loli liʻiliʻi a me nā nudges i hiki i nā hale kūʻai kihi ke hoʻokō i mea e hoʻololi nui ai i ka ʻano kūʻai o nā mea kūʻai o ke kihi.

ʻO kekahi papahana nui aʻu i hoʻopau ai, ʻo ia ka Nutrition Toolkit no ka Salvation Army. No kēia papahana, ua hana au me Karee, ka luna hoʻonaʻauao meaʻai. Mālama ʻo Karee i ka Healthy Pantry, he papahana e hoʻomohala a hoʻoulu i ka pilina ma waena o ka waihona meaʻai a me nā waihona meaʻai kūloko. Ua hui pū ka Salvation Army ma Galveston me ka waihona meaʻai a hoʻomohala i kahi hale meaʻai. Pono ka Salvation Army i nā kumuwaiwai hoʻonaʻauao meaʻai, no laila ua kipa māua ʻo Karee i ko lākou hale hana a loiloi i kā lākou pono. ʻO kekahi o kā lākou makemake nui loa ʻo ia ka meaʻai meaʻai e hoʻopili ai i ka hoʻololi ʻana o nā mea kūʻai mai ka noho ʻana i ka hale hoʻomalu a hiki i ka neʻe ʻana i ko lākou hale. No laila, ua hana au i kahi Nutrition Toolkit e komo ana i ka ʻike meaʻai maʻamau e hōʻike ana i ka MyPlate, ka hoʻolilo kālā, ka palekana o ka meaʻai, ka hoʻokele ʻana i nā polokalamu kōkua aupuni (e hōʻike ana i ka SNAP a me ka WIC), nā meaʻai, a me nā mea hou aku! Ua hana au i nā noiʻi ma mua a ma hope o ka Salvation Army e lawelawe ai. E kōkua ana nā noiʻi ma mua a ma hope o ka nānā ʻana i ka pono o ka Mea Hana Meaʻai.

ʻO kaʻu ʻāpana punahele e pili ana i ka hoʻokomo ʻana ma ka waihona meaʻai ʻo ia ka manawa mau e aʻo ai a hopena maikaʻi i ke kaiāulu. Ua makemake au e hana pū me kahi hui hoihoi, maikaʻi, a naʻauao. Mahalo nui wau i ka manawa aʻu i hoʻolimalima ai ma ka hale ʻai ʻai ʻo Galveston County! Hauʻoli wau i ka ʻike ʻana i ka hoʻomau ʻana o ka hui i nā loli maikaʻi i ke kaiāulu a ke kakali nei au e hoʻi i ka manawaleʻa!