The Hoʻōla Farms: Food Is Medicine Program, delivered in partnership with the Rural Equity for Advancing Community Health (REACH) Program, provided 26 weeks of Food Is Medicine bags to participating households across Pāhoa, Lower Puna, and Keaʻau, with 50 bags distributed each week.
Providing fresh, healthy food to our community while supporting our farmers is central to what we do, especially on an island where most food is imported. Every bag in this program was sourced directly from Hawaiʻi farms, many from our Hawaiʻi Farm to Car program, so households got produce picked close to when it was packed, and dollars stayed right here on Hawaiʻi Island.
Each bag included a mix of fresh Hawaiʻi-grown fruits and vegetables plus a protein option (eggs, locally produced tofu, or local meat and fish, depending on availability), and averaged 9 to 11 pounds of food. Over 26 weeks, that added up to roughly 13,000 pounds of local food distributed, and 13,000 pounds worth of support for the farmers who grew it.
Program Snapshot
- Duration: 26 weeks
- Bags distributed weekly: 50, to participating households across area codes 96778 (Pāhoa/Lower Puna) and 96749 (Keaʻau)
- Food distributed: approximately 13,000 pounds
- Bag contents: fresh Hawaiʻi-grown produce plus a protein option, sourced directly from local farms
Mahalo to the UH Hilo School of Nursing!
A key partnership in this program was our collaboration with the University of Hawaiʻi at Hilo’s School of Nursing. UH Hilo nursing students supported the program by:
- Volunteering to pack the weekly bags
- Developing healthy, locally inspired recipes
- Creating a cooking video to help participants prepare their produce at home
Watch the recipe video here!
Survey Results
At the close of the program, Hoʻōla Farms surveyed participating households on eating habits, kitchen confidence, and food access. Fourteen households completed the survey, representing family sizes of 3 to 7 members and roughly 70 people served weekly. Every single household reported eating more fruits and vegetables daily and found the weekly bag helpful or very helpful for eating healthier. Most also said their kitchen confidence grew over the course of the program, with 79% feeling very or extremely confident preparing meals with fresh produce and protein, and 86% feeling more confident knowing where to access healthy food.
What Households Said
“I slowly gained confidence in salad making and became more adventurous in eating vegetables. I loved the recipes you gave. I appreciated the paper printout. If you didn’t have that, I wouldn’t have looked up how to make anything.” — Kristen P.
“It’s been great having a surprise bunch of vegetables every week that challenges me to come up with fun and delicious ways of preparing them.” — Valerie W.
“The REACH program is such a blessing, especially during summer. Our ʻohana got into a boring routine with our weekly meals, a lot more eating out as well. But this program has reinvigorated our kitchen creativity as well as kept our keiki quite content with options and flavors. So much ʻono and healthy food options that we were just not aware of. Thank you to all the farmers and friendly workers.” — Salomé L.
“I would very much like to thank everyone involved in this project. My sister and I are living on our pensions in Hawaiʻi. Groceries are very expensive, including vegetables.” — Victoria D.
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