Aloha kekahi i kekahi

Kupuna Needs Project created to deliver food, necessities to elderly and other vulnerable people

By Dallas Carter
Special to the Herald

The Hawaiian proverb “aloha kekahi i kekahi” (“love one another”) reminds us to be good to one another and to care for the most vulnerable among us. Our Lord exhorts us in holy Scripture to serve those in need (Matthew 25:31-46). The spread of COVID-19 in Hawaii and the world has given ample opportunity to respond to this exhortation, to put our faith into practice, to be “Christ” to our brothers and sisters.

Responding to the need was a group of five Oahu Catholic laymen.

After the government issued its coronavirus stay-at-home orders in March, they came together from different parishes to launch an island-wide initiative to provide food and needed provisions to kupuna and other vulnerable people. They called the venture the Kupuna Needs Project.

Its stated mission is this: “The Kupuna Needs Project is a service for elderly (62 years or older) and immuno-compromised individuals on Oahu, who are at risk of the dangers of the COVID-19 virus, to get necessities such as food, toiletries and cleaning supplies delivered to their residence.”

For its base of operations, the diocese and the parish of the Cathedral Basilica of Our Lady of Peace, allowed the project the use of the now-closed Cathedral Catholic Academy building.

On day one, after its hotline numbers were published in local media, the program answered nearly 200 calls. By mid-April, thanks to online posts and word of mouth, Kupuna Needs had responded to more than 700 unique phone requests, delivering to each caller a two-week supply of food and toiletries.

The requests are entered into a computer spreadsheet. The food and supplies are bagged at the Cathedral Academy site and volunteer drivers arrive around 1 p.m. each day to load their cars and make the deliveries.

Resurrection of the Lord Parish in Waipio is a satellite pick-up location for deliveries to Oahu’s central, west and North Shore areas.

The project has more than 160 volunteers, each of whom has gone through an hour of safety and protocol training. Social distancing is maintained. The volunteers’ temperatures are checked when they show up to work and there are never more than seven or so people at a facility at a time. The volunteers include a couple of Oahu priests.

Kupuna Needs Project volunteers also help deliver hundreds of hot meals for Meals on Wheels Hawaii and Malama Meals.

Other volunteers are sent to parish outreach programs in need of younger helpers such as St. Michael in Waialua and Our Lady of Sorrows in Wahiawa.

The project began with personal donations of canned foods and toiletries. Then several food pantries, closed because of the pandemic, contributed supplies. After the first few days, Kupuna Needs connected with the Hawaii Foodservice Alliance and several farmers who agreed to donate food on a regular basis. It also established business relationships with Sysco, Triple F, Foodland and other vendors. Monetary donations from recipients and others help to buy supplies from these vendors.

Donations are made to the Roman Catholic Church in Hawaii through Office for Social Ministry and EPIC Ministry, a 501(c)(3) lay association. EPIC has partnered with Kupuna Needs from the beginning serving as its fiscal agent to collect tax-deductible donations via an online portal.

In the first four weeks of operation, the project helped provide much-needed food and essential supplies to nearly 7,000 people on the island.

The five laymen who first collaborated to create the Kupuna Needs Project are:

• John Fielding of the Cathedral Basilica of Our Lady of Peace, a long-time employee of Altres Hawaii, is Kupuna Needs safety protocol officer and main diocesan contact through the Office for Social Ministry.
• Ryan Fielding launched the initiative, led the publicity campaign on local media, and compiles and coordinates the requests for aid each day as part of his Eagle Scout project (Aloha Council troop 39). He makes sure there is no more than a three-day wait for each request.
• Jared Zick, of St. Elizabeth Parish in Aiea, is the morning shift coordinator. He makes sure the volunteers who fill the bags are briefed, and brings the bags to Resurrection Parish for distribution.
• Ron Gochenouer of the Cathedral Basilica of Our Lady of Peace is in charge of distribution. He orders and picks up orders from vendors and the donated items from producers.
• Dallas Carter, writer of this article, is a parishioner of Blessed Sacrament Church in Pauoa. He coordinates operations among the lead personnel, the meal providers and the volunteer force, and other tasks.

Kupuna Needs will do everything it can to help those in need on Oahu during this pandemic. If you are in need and qualify for Kupuna Needs Project support, call one of our hotlines 202-0820 or 202-1203 between noon and 8 p.m. daily. Or visit our website www.kupunaneedsproject.com to request supplies or to make a donation.

This is undoubtedly one of the hardest times our local church and island community have ever endured. May the grace of our Lord fall upon us as we endeavor to love one another during this trying time and may we always be mindful of our Lord’s declaration that when we serve “one of the least of these my brethren, you did it to me.” (cf. Mt 25:40)

Our help is in the name of the Lord, who made heaven and earth.