Late Fire Chief Kazuo Todd to be honored during upcoming Waimea Town Meeting

Waimea Community Association will welcome 2026, honor late Fire Chief Kazuo Todd, preview the upcoming 2026 state legislative session and spotlight food programs with The Food Basket, Hawai’i Island’s food bank, during its upcoming monthly town meeting.

Timing for the January meeting breaks with the association’s usual first Thursday routine to avoid conflicts with the holidays.

This month’s town hall is planned for 5:30 to 7 p.m. Jan. 15 at W. M. Keck Observatory Headquarters in Waimea.

Town meetings will resume their regular schedule Feb. 5.

A special remembrance honoring the late Hawaiʻi County fire chief is top of the agenda.

Todd was loved and respected throughout North Hawai‘i, as well as around the island and throughout the state.

Danny and Anna Akaka will pule (pray or offer a blessing) for the new year and in honor of Todd.

This will be followed by a short presentation and several speakers sharing their reflections and memories about the man who dedicated more than two decades to Hawai’i Fire Department as well as the life of service and community he shared with the island.

“[Waimea Community Association]’s board thought it was important for our Waimea community to convey our gratitude and aloha for all that this remarkable man did and gave our community, our first responders, our island and state,” said newly elected Waimea Community Association President Nancy Carr Smith in an announcement about the upcoming meeting.

Primary focus of this month’s town hall is the annual legislative update by Big Island state Sen. Tim Richards and state Rep. David Tarnas, both of whom represent the North Hawai‘i community.

Each will discuss their goals and lay out their priorities for the upcoming 2026 Hawai‘i Legislature, which begins Jan. 21.

Questions for legislators are welcome in advance and can be emailed to WaimeaCommunityAssociation@gmail.com.

Also presenting during the meeting will be The Food Basket Executive Director Kristin Frost Albrecht, who will dive into food programs and challenges throughout the district and elsewhere around the island.

In addition to a brief recap of the numerous Waimea food distribution programs the nonprofit food bank supports, Frost Albrecht will provide the latest news and information about:

• DA BUX and DA BOX programs.
• Kūpuna Pantry.
• Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP, assistance, which often is still commonly referred to as food stamps.
• Ho‘olako, a planned agricultural innovation park and food system campus project that will significantly improve food opportunities for the entire island.

Waimea Community Association board members will collect donations during the meeting, all of which will go directly to assist the nonprofit agency.

Introductions of Waimea Community Association’s newly elected volunteer officers and a new board member are on the Jan. 15 agenda, too.

Those saying hello to the community for the first time in their new association roles are:

• President Carr Smith.
• Vice President Lani Olsen-Chong.
• Secretary Makela Bruno.
• Treasurer Victor Tom.
• New board member Hanna Bree.

Everyone is welcome to attend in-person or watch via livestream on Waimea Community Association’s Facebook page and YouTube channel.

Email Carr Smith at WaimeaCommunityAssociation@gmail.com or visit the Waimea Community Association website for additional information, to submit questions or with questions about the meeting and agenda.