LIHU‘E — Stetson Borilez was excited because he could start his own garden with the free seedlings distributed by the Kaua‘i High School Key Club, Thursday. “His dad just finished building the raised garden, today,” said Nancy Borilez, Stetson’s mom.
LIHU‘E — Stetson Borilez was excited because he could start his own garden with the free seedlings distributed by the Kaua‘i High School Key Club, Thursday.
“His dad just finished building the raised garden, today,” said Nancy Borilez, Stetson’s mom. “We read about this in the newspaper and got excited because Stetson, a sixth grade student at Kapa‘a Middle School, is really excited about gardening. From here, we’re going to the Kaua‘i Resource Center where we’re going to get one of those compost bins.”
The free seedlings were just one part of the Mayor’s Aloha Garden Second Anniversary celebration which coincided with the taping of the mayor’s “Together We Can” television show where Kaua‘i Mayor Bernard Carvalho Jr. joined Key Club student coordinators in harvesting produce from the garden.
David Ochoco, emcee for the afternoon program, said the Key Club has been harvesting and donating the produce to either the Salvation Army, Lihu‘e Corps., or to the Kaua‘i Independent Food Bank.
“This might look like it’s not much,” said Travis Navarro, one of three student coordinators. “But it comes out to about 10 pounds.”
Ochoco said since they took over the reins to the garden, the Key Club has harvested more than a hundred pounds of produce, all donated to charity.
Envoy Larry Groenleer of the Salvation Army said what the students contribute to the Kokua Soup Kitchen makes a big difference.
“This is so important for adults because the youth is our future,” Groenleer said. “The Key Club students have shown Kaua‘i just how they have done. All the food they bring to the Salvation Army is eaten the next day. It makes a big difference in the huge cost savings for our meals.”
Groenleer said during the 2010 year, the Salvation Army served about 17,000 meals and with the rising costs of fresh produce, the Key Club efforts are greatly appreciated.
Judy Lenthall, director of the Kaua‘i Independent Food Bank, and Kelvin Moniz, director of Food Resources for KIFB, said the produce provided by the Mayor’s Aloha Garden through the efforts of the Key Club serves as a demonstration for residents who can plant a garden and help through the food bank’s gleaning and Plant-a-Row programs.
“Schools from Kekaha to Hanalei are participating in the Plant-a-Row program where, in addition to the planned crop, an extra row is planted with the resulting harvest given to help feed the hungry,” Moniz said. “In the gleaning program, people who have an over abundance of harvest from fruit trees and gardens, can call the food bank and someone will come and help harvest the excess to help feed the hungry.”
Lenthall said there is a big need for food, and although the Key Club might think their harvest is small, every little bit helps take care of demand for food which has soared to a 16-year record high.
The KIFB Plant-a-Row program coincides with the original Community Harvesting: Waste Not, Want Not gleaning concept headed by Pennie Duke said Barbara Bennett of the Kaua‘i Agricultural Initiative, one of the major sponsors of the Mayor’s Aloha Garden.
She said the garden was started solely to support agriculture on Kaua‘i and is thrilled that students have taken the ball and are running with it.
Kaua‘i High School Key Club is in its second year of maintaining the garden after last year, Tyler Navarro and Sheldon Chu took on the garden as their senior project.
This year, Ochoco, Nguyen and Travis Navarro have undertaken the garden for their senior project.
“I’m so glad to see the students step up to the plate and take over this project,” Carvalho said. “They are our future and it’s a nice feeling to see them being so responsible.”
