The Kohala Center’s FoodCorps Hawaii program received a $28,000 grant from the Walmart Foundation’s Hawaii State Giving Council.
The Kohala Center’s FoodCorps Hawaii program received a $28,000 grant from the Walmart Foundation’s Hawaii State Giving Council.
The grant will help fund FoodCorps Hawaii’s Healthy Food, Healthy Children initiative that addresses childhood obesity and food insecurity in underserved communities in 12 schools on Hawaii Island and Oahu during the 2016-17 school year.
Statistics show one out of every three children in the U.S. is overweight or obese, and in Hawaii the number is higher among Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander keiki. This often leads to chronic illnesses, absenteeism and lowered life expectancy.
“Our FoodCorps Hawaii program aims to reach our most vulnerable populations and connect them to real, healthier, locally grown food while also helping them establish a greater appreciation of place,” said Nancy Redfeather, director of The Kohala Center’s Hawaii Island School Garden Network.
The FoodCorps Hawaii service sites for the 2016–17 school year on the Big Island are:
• Hawaii Academy of Arts and Sciences, Pahoa.
• Holualoa Elementary School.
• Kealakehe Elementary School.
• Kohala Elementary School, Kapaau.
• Kona Pacific Public Charter School, Kealakekua.
• Kua o ka La New Century Public Charter School, Pahoa.
• Paauilo Elementary School.
• Waimea Elementary School.
The Walmart Foundation’s Hawaii State Giving Council, comprised of local Walmart associates, reviews applications and determines the local grants.
Other Hawaii nonprofits are encouraged to apply for the final cycle of the 2016 Hawaii State Giving Council’s grants. Minimum grant amounts are $25,000.
Additional information about the program’s funding guidelines and application process are available online at www.walmartfoundation.org/stategiving.