Molokai Food Hub in Operation

Sust`aina ble Molokai News Release

Sust`aina ble Molokai’s newly launched Molokai Food Hub is seeking locally grown fruits and vegetables.  In January, we officially became the vendor for the Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Program (FFVP) for Maunaloa Elementary School.  This is a federally funded snack program, which allows students to receive a snack of a fresh fruit or vegetable two to three times per week.  As the vendor, we are aiming to provide as much Molokai-grown fruit and vegetables as possible, so please call or email us if you would like to be a supplier (560-5410 or harmonee@sustainablemolokai.org).

The program is open to growers who can provide 60 servings of fresh fruit or vegetable (minimum serving size of 1/2 cup), and they will be paid fair market value.  Thus far we have purchased locally-grown oranges, taro, lilikoi, Molokai purple sweet potatoes, and papayas, and we are looking to expand this list to give the students a broad range of delicious, healthy snacks – grown right on their own island.

We hope to eventually offer local produce to the islands’ other schools through such snack programs.  To do this, we need numerous growers with consistent supplies of produce, so please let us know if you are out there. We’d like to thank the farmers who have supplied us so far, as well as Aunty Tica Kekahuna, the Cafeteria Manager who is a big supporter of going local, and has patiently worked with us as we get this program underway.

One additional service the Molokai Food Hub has added is selling local produce at Saturday Markets.  Please call or email us if you are interested in having us sell your goods (at no cost to the grower).  We are planning to do this at least once a month, along with selling fresh kiawe-fired pizzas made in our brick oven and topped with fresh, local veggies.  Our next pizza and produce sale will be Valentines Day, Feb. 14, so come buy your sweetheart a Sust`aina-ble local pizza!