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Lonoikamakahiki! In this season of gratitude, peace, and abundance, we give thanks for the many hands and hearts that we have had the privilege of doing this work with for 46 years. Together, we have been able to cultivate a space where all generations can feel a sense of belonging, kuleana, joy, and hope while turning their hands down to the soil at our farm.
Reminiscing on a wonderfully full past year, here are some reflections from a few of our program participants.
Keiki
"I enjoy learning about the land and our plants and taking care of our 'āina. Also, I can learn how to cook different food."
Community Member
"No matter the stressful things going on in my life or work (or country!), joining in these community harvests always rejuvenates and restores me. I feel hopeful and reconnected - to people, to the land, to myself."
Kupuna
"The 'āina (at Hoa 'Āina O Mākaha) is turning into a kind of food/community hub, a place for meeting old friends and making new ones while taste-testing new food products that came right out of the garden/farm; where young people know that they belong because they grow the food, that they are central, and that a larger community surrounds them and appreciates the work they do, the work they've done. No one feels left out. No one is invisible."
This year reminded us that kindness, aloha, and generosity can have an immense impact, and you made that possible. As we look toward the next year, we do so with gratitude for the community that helps to carry our mission forward.
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