Pōhāhā I Ka Lani Recieves Grant from OHA

Pōhāhā I Ka Lani today announced a grant award totaling $149,854 that will support the Native Hawaiian community through the Office of Hawaiian Affairs (OHA) COVID-19 Impact & Response Grant. The grant will help to reinforce and strengthen Native Hawaiiansʻ ʻohana (family), moʻomeheu (culture) and ʻāina (land and water) through distributing produce & meat boxes, prepared meals, essential household items, and plant starts by purchasing from local restaurants, food providers, farmers, ranchers, and fishermen. The Ka Lau o Ke Kāhuli Project aims to provide assistance to Native Hawaiian families by assisting with their needs to overcome impacts due to Covid-19 pandemic while offering ‘āina stewardship & cultural education opportunities at sites above and in Waipiʻo Valley.

With a $149,854 OHA grant award, Pōhāhā I Ka Lani will fill service gaps in food, essential care items, help stabilize the local agricultural & food sectors, provide positive ʻāina cultural-based opportunities for families & individuals, and assist families with home gardens & health practices through provided plants.

“We are extremely grateful for OHAʻs continued support towards these efforts as our Ka Lau o Ke Kāhuli Project is aimed to help Native Hawaiians through providing food, essential care items, and home garden & plant resources as the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic continue to affect our Lāhui. Ka Lau o Ke Kāhuli Project will provide individuals and ‘ohana with direct assistance of goods but also with experiences that help them nurture and honor the Hawaiian culture and these special sites of Waipiʻo Valley to uplift their spirits. Pōhāhā I Ka Lani will use OHA funds to continue it’s existing efforts of providing assistance to ʻohana during the COVID-19 pandemic while continuing to support local farmers & ranchers and offer mālama ʻāina learning opporutinites in the wahi pana of Waipiʻo Valley.” said Kūlia Tolentino-Potter, Founder and President of Pōhāhā I Ka Lani.

The purpose of the COVID-19 Impact & Response Grant is to serve the Native Hawaiian lāhui in alignment with the strategic foundations, directions, and outcomes of 15-year Mana i Mauli Ola Strategic Plan.

The Ka Lau o Ke Kāhuli Project in 2021-2022 builds upon nearly two decades of Pōhāhā  I Ka Lani’s cultural perpetuation and stewardship initiatives in Waipiʻo Valley that has been serving Native Hawaiian and Hawaiʻi Island communities with food & plant donations & cultural education.

To participate in the program in 2021-2022, contact Pōhāhā I Ka Lani via email at pohahaikalani@gmail.com, via social media at Facebook or Instagram, or via their website at www.pohahaikalani.com.