Aloha,
“The scandal that millions of people suffer from hunger must not paralyze us, but push each and every one of us to act: singles, families, communities, institutions, government, to eliminate this injustice.” (Pope Francis)
The recent news that 183,500 of Hawaii’s people — 14 percent of the population — receive emergency food assistance is a reminder that some of us suffer from disasters on a daily basis.
The Office for Social Ministry is piloting a program on disaster preparedness and community resiliency. Our parish food ministries now have an opportunity to address the need to prepare communities for difficult times. In a half dozen parishes this fall, this pilot program will help parish leadership review and assess existing disaster preparedness plans.
The program will have two dialogue sessions: one to draft a preparedness plan, the second to finalize the plan and identify action steps. We hope this effort will help connect the strategies of the parish, the community and families to make sure they will reach out to the most vulnerable among us.
St. Damien Parish in Molokai recently started their own program to develop disaster preparedness and community resiliency. To aid in the process, parish leaders met for a “talk story” session to hear how the church had prepared for possible disasters — what worked and what didn’t. Later that evening, parishioners representing three generations of the Bicoy family gathered in Maunaloa for a similar “talk story” about how the community weathered storms. Many acknowledged the ohana system for helping community members support one another in times of disaster, as well as on a daily basis.
Through this process, the Molokai parish will develop a plan to achieve greater resiliency for the individual, parish and the community ohana.
For more information about this disaster preparedness and community resilience program, contact bcostKigan@hacbed.org. Mahalo.
Your friends at the Office for Social Ministry
