Reclaiming our Local Food System:
Meet the Same Canoe Community Garden Project
Welcome to the Same Canoe Community Garden Project
We are a community partnership of 16 gardens that are teaching and learning resources helping local students and households to reclaim the skills, tools, and knowledge needed to increase the availability of local foods.
Garden projects began in 2011 and in 2013 a family component is launching a new initiative to improve access to homegrown food and healthy nutrition. Over 120 households will be able to apply for funding to create or improve a food garden. In turn, each applicants will share the results of their project with at least eight neighbors or family members.
See project accomplishments at the Same Canoe Garden Blog
Community Garden Donations are Invited !
Same Canoe Community Garden Challenges and Goals
To really attain a long term, stable, local food system, our food system efforts need to include our schools, community non-profits, churches, farms, businesses, and households in a universal campaign to grow and distribute more local foods.
In response to this community-wide food system goal, the One Island Sustainable Living Center is hosting The Same Canoe Community Garden Project. The Same Canoe Project recognizes the food security risks we face on the Island of Hawaii, where 85% of our food is imported and there is only a 3-5 day supply of food on hand in the entire state. In response to these challenges, Same Canoe is focused on growing more local food, bringing farms, businesses and schools into fertile partnerships, and hosting monthly Good Medicine garden volunteering days.
Our goal is to help at least 12 community gardens in their creation or restoration projects, including food production, wildlife habitat and native reforestation efforts. We expect to bring over 5,000 pounds of local produce to local homes through these gardens by October 2013. The Community Gardens will serve over 1200 local residents by providing educational resources and experiences that encourage broader local support for locally grown foods – in their own backyards and in their shopping choices. We also will be offering mini-grants to at least 120 households who attend a training workshop and propose a new or expanded food garden installation for their household.
Accomplishments to date: 16 gardens are currently enrolled in the project – exceeding our one dozen goal. Over 3,000 pounds of produce has been brought into the community through our farmer and gardener affiliates and there is a very good chance we may really exceed our 5,000 pound goal.
How You Can Participate
Attend a Same Canoe workshop at One Island and learn to grow your own food.
Help out at a community garden near you and share your appreciation for locally grown food. Students at our schools love having garden helpers and they not only weed and water, seed and plant, they also do art projects and snack programs that could really use your help! Non-profit organizations need volunteer help for their gardens too.
Donate excess produce to Same Canoe through the No Fruit Left Behind gleaning project. We’ll help get it to families need.
Make a finanical donation to show your support for the front line work going on in our partner community gardens – 100% of donations buy supplies for gardens!
Grab a Paddle
There are schools and non-profits in West Hawaii neighborhoods that invite your help in building and maintaining their community learning garden. You can volunteer a few hours a month and make a REAL difference. One Island hosts two volunteer daysa month at our farm and gardens in Honaunau, and we coordinate volunteer crews to help out at a local community garden sites the 4th Wednesdays or other garden volunteer days. We encourge you to contact your local garden and book your own volunteer activities.
Project Partners
Fifteen schools and non-profit organizations are receiving a package of professional development, garden grant funding, and community organizing services from One Island and we are already exceding our goal of creating or revitalizing at least 12 community gardens in West Hawaii.
Active Same Canoe Community Garden partners (and projects) in Phase One currently are:
1. Honaunau School, Melissa Chivers (5 projects)
2. West Hawaii Explorations Academy, Ben Duke (5 projects)
3. Kona Innovations Charter School, Krista Donaldson
4. Konawaena Middle School, Shari Jumalon and Ellen Jacobs (7 projects)
5. Kona Senior Recreation Services, Kelly Hudik (2 projects)
6. Na Wahi Ola, Nani Kopono (5 projects)
7. SKEA South Kona Education and Arts Society, Susan Rice
8. One Island Sustainable Living Center, Marcy Montgomery and Raven Bolas (12 projects)
Phase Two Partners are:
9. Konawaena High School, Maverick Kawamoto
10. The ARC of Kona, Gretchen Lawson
11. Kona Pacific Charter School, Ben Publico (2 projects)
12. Ho’okena School, April Qina
13. Ho’okena Community, Lenda Hands
14. Miloli’i Community, Water and Solar Maintenance Committee (up to 50 projects)
15. Ka Ohana O Na Pua, Nancy Redfeather
Same Canoe’s support for these gardens are funded in part by the PEOPLE’S GARDEN PROJECT hosted by the National Institute for Food and Agriculture. The lead gardens serve as demonstration sites sharing local food production, preparation and preservation knowledge with their clients, students and families. The project is creating a wide ripple through the community and will eventually serve over 2,000 rural residents interested in increasing their food security, improving their nutrition, and saving money by lessening their dependency on imported foods.
In addition to growing food, The Same Canoe Community Garden Project is also providing support for increasing wildlife habitat, promoting reforestation and preservation of native plants, and growing medicinal plants.
To learn more, please see the newsletter at www.oneisland.org, linked at top of page,
or email hawaii@oneisland.org
Green is a Verb – Let’s Do It,Together!
