About The Kaʻū Calendar

Saturday, May 09, 2020

Ka‘ū News Briefs, Saturday, May 9, 2020

Evan Enriques sells ono and aku this morning to a county firefighter. The volleyball star and Stanford University
alumni through graduate school came home to Punaluʻu to fish full-time. See story below on federal
funding available for fishing, aquaculture, and local food distribution. Photo by Julia Neal
See Mothers Day Takeout Specials in Fresh Food on The Kaʻū Calendar.

VOLCANO GOLF COURSE CLOSES, LESSEES LEAVE. The Japanese company that has managed Volcano Gold Course & Country Club since 1982 recently shut the place down, after a double whammy: a fire that burned the clubhouse and COVID-19, which led to temporary government bans on playing golf throughout the islands. The 18-hole, 156-acre Volcano course opened nearly a century ago on Kamehameha School lands.
     After the fire, staff members told The Kaʻū Calendar that the business wanted to use insurance money from the fire, and loans, to rebuild the clubhouse. The golf course operated out of a trailer next to the golf cart shed.
     This morning's Hawaiʻi Tribune-Herald, however, carries a story by Michael Brestovansky, saying, "The Volcano Golf Course and Country Club has permanently closed, leaving the future of a beloved Big Island destination in doubt."
Volcano Golf Course clubhouse after last November's fire.
Photo by Julia Neal
     Brestrovansky quotes Kamehameha Schools' Alapaki Nahaleʻa, senior director of community engagement and resources for Hawaiʻi Island. Nahaleʻa told the Tribune-Herald that Kamehameha Schools is surprised and disappointed. "We want the businesses on our lands to succeed." He also told the Tribune-Herald that the school will weigh its options on the best future for the lands, but could "stay the course," noting the golf course is appreciated by travelers and residents, including those living in houses along the golf course boarder. See more at Hawaiʻi Tribune-Herald.

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FISHING AND AQUACULTURE BUSINESSES IN HAWAI‘I WILL RECEIVE MILLIONS IN TARGETED COVID-19 AID. Congressman Ed Case announced this week that more than $4.3 million is available for Hawai‘i's fishing and aquaculture industry impacted by COVID-19. The state Department of Land & Natural Resources is tasked to administer funds. Eligible are commercial fishing, charter for-hire fishing, qualified aquaculture operations, and marine fisheries management agencies, said Case.
     He said money comes through the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act, which Congress passed with overwhelming bipartisan support. The President signed it into law on March 27. U.S. Department of Commerce's National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration administers the funds. Read more on funding for fishing and aquaculture industries.
     Case serves on the U.S. House Committees on Natural Resources and on Appropriations and subcommittees, overseeing NOAA. He urged Commerce to accelerate CARES funding.
Fishing to sell for the local community increases as hotel and restaurant orders dive. Fishing businesses,
 even small ones,and community non-profits developing local food distribution, are eligible for funding.
Photo by Julia Neal
     Case also announced that State of Hawai‘i and counties can apply for a share of $1.5 billion in emergency assistance through the U.S. Department of Commerce's Economic Development Administration aid to combat the effects of COVID-19. "Much of that $1.5 billion will come in the form of grants," said Case. "It was made possible through the CARES Act.
     "Those eligible can apply through EDA's Economic Adjustment Assistance program. Projects eligible for this very flexible grant funding include: economic recovery planning and preparing technical assistance strategies to address economic dislocations caused by the coronavirus pandemic;  preparing or updating resiliency plans to respond to future pandemics; implementing entrepreneurial support programs to diversify economies; and constructing public works and facilities that will support economic recovery, including the deployment of broadband for purposes including supporting telehealth and remote learning for job skills.
     Eligible applicants under the EAA program include State, county, city, or other political subdivision of a state, including a special purpose unit of a State or local government engaged in economic or infrastructure development activities, or a consortium of political subdivisions; institution of higher education or a consortium of institutions of higher education; or public or private non-profit organization or association acting in cooperation with officials of a political subdivision of a state. For more information, visit EDA CARES Act Recovery Page.

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A full ʻumeke or calabash is a sign of "strong relationships, knowledge, and resource abundance" in a community. 
Photo by Kaʻōhua Lucas
SUPPORTING HAWAIʻI ISLAND'S FOOD SECURITY is the goal of the Full Calabash Fund. Established by The Kohala Center and a group of Hawaiʻi food systems practitioners, the fund will support community-based organizations that are purchasing food from local farmers, ranchers, and food producers, and providing food to community members in need.
     A message from The Kohala Center Rural and Cooperative Business Development Services team says, "In Hawaiʻi, when an ʻumeke or a calabash was full, it was a sign of strong relationships, knowledge, and resource abundance held within our communities. Following this tradition… the Full Calabash Fund reminds us of the honor that comes from the generous exchanges of gifts, including time, energy, and food." Initial funding comes from The Harry and Jeanette Weinberg Foundation, Frost Family Foundation, and The Johnson ʻOhana Foundation.
     For more information or to donate to the Full Calabash Fund, contact Nicole Milne at 808-987-9210 or nmilne@kohalacenter.org. See kohalacenter.org/business/full-calabash-fund.

The Boys & Girls Club takes meals to some of the
most remote homes on the island, where children
depended on nutrition at school before the pandemic.
Photo from Chad Cabral
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THE BOYS & GIRLS CLUB SERVED OVER 20,000 MEALS IN 35 days, according to its CEO Chad Cabral, who sent out a message on Friday to the public, volunteers, and contributors to the program.
     "Now into our sixth week, the Boys & Girls Club of the Big Island continues to provide free, hot meals during this coronavirus pandemic, to assist our most in-need and vulnerable populations throughout Hawaiʻi Island. Today it was beef stroganoff, mashed potatoes, and hot cooked vegetables produced out of our two Boys & Girls Club of the Big Island kitchen operations.
     "Our meals continue to be made hot and fresh and transported directly to Hawaiʻi Island rural area communities, social support agencies, and residential public housing programs for keiki, kūpuna, struggling family households, and our homeless population to access." The Boys & Girls Club produced 800  hot meals distributed Friday evening.
     Said Cabral, "Remember that, for some children, school is the primary resource for them to access daily nutrition. During this unprecedented time period, where Hawaiʻi schools are closed and many family households have lost their source of employment, the Boys & Girls Club of the Big Island will continue to assist those in need with our supplemental Monday-Friday meals for as long as we are able to." Read more and donate at bgcbi.org.

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KAʻŪ HIGH SCHOOL GRADUATION REMAINS IN THE PLANNING STAGE. The Kaʻū News Briefs recently jumped the gun and posted one of the ideas for the event, but graduation remains in the planning and approval stage. Principal Sharon Beck said that she will soon release the details, date, time, and protocol, following finalization and approvals from the Department of Education.

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STAMP IT OUT AND KEEP IT OUT is the campaign of West Kaʻū's member of the state House of Representatives. Also a physician, Rep. Richard Creagan issued this opinion piece on Friday. See Part I here. The following is Part II. It takes a look at testing and contact tracing with program development at University of Hawaiʻi Medical School. He emphasizes opportunities for a COVID-free Hawaiʻi in health, education, the economy, and by providing a very safe harbor for hosting the U.S. military. According to Creagan:
     Hawaiʻi can look to China for guidance from its response to the COVID-19 challenge. China was quick to initiate testing. We are still not at the level of test availability that China achieved in the four months it took them to eliminate the virus in Wuhan. A recent report indicated that, as part of a planeload of COVID assistance to IndonesiaChina provided almost a million test kits, which was more than our whole country had used at that point.
Rep. Richard Creagan, a physician, gives his views on
COVID-19: Stamp It Out and Keep It Out!
     I asked our medical school to come up with a proposal for developing further testing and they came up with a plan that could provide over 100,000 tests over the next 12 months if they were given $3 million dollars. They would also develop high-quality antibody tests that would be better than what is now available. If funded, they could expand their capacity as needed. We need to continue to expand the quantity and quality of our testing, and our Department of Health is being very resistant to that to the point of being almost criminally obstructive.
Dramatically Expand Contact Tracing
     We need to expand contact tracing dramatically. China had 1,500 teams of five people per team that roamed all over Wuhan and the surrounding areas. They found individuals and clusters, isolated them in their "hospitals" and quarantined others with monitoring at home or in government facilities. They screened those who might be infected with adequate testing to find the infected individuals.
     At the start of our outbreak I was told that our department of health had seven contact tracers. That number has since been increased by use of volunteers, but it is still far from adequate. A new, well-trained, and fiercely dedicated doctor with an MD and an MPH, Sarah Kemble, is leading that group. She is Sara Park's deputy, but Sarah Kemble seems to believe that contact tracing cannot just mitigate but suppress and eradicate this disease. We need hundreds if not thousands of contact tracers with that same belief to ensure we stamp out this disease and keep it from coming back, and she could lead that group.
     I worked as an epidemiological investigator for the Department of Health on the Big Island in 2002-2003 for part of the SARS outbreak and know that we can readily train the contact tracing teams that we need. In a recent op-ed to the Star Advertiser, I advocated recruiting a COVID Corps of young people that could more safely do that and other jobs. There are thousands of college students that could be activated and trained, housed, and fed in empty hotels, provided transportation by the National Guard – who could get this critical job done. In addition to their food and housing, they could be given college credit for their work and tuition waivers they could use when they got rid of COVID-19 and reopened their campuses.
     Undoubtedly the U.S. mainland has become a grisly testing ground for possible medical treatments, but most of those treatments will likely help only marginally. They could possibly shorten hospitalization time and perhaps spare a few more lives. Our best course in Hawaiʻi is to have no cases to treat.
The Issue of Vaccines
     The issue of vaccines is a worrisome one. In the 1980's, I was the medical director of a biotech star-up vaccine company that was using new techniques to make veterinary vaccines. We were one of the first two companies to make a Feline Leukemia Vaccine. The reality is that making vaccines is not easy. Making vaccines for animals is easier as they do not have to be as flawless as human vaccines.
     Human vaccines are usually tested first in animals to confirm safety and some degree of effectiveness but then they have to have that safety and efficacy confirmed in human trials. No one has successfully made a safe and effective coronavirus vaccine for humans. Attempts were made to make vaccines for two earlier coronaviruses that caused outbreaks. SARS (Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome) and MERS (Middle East Respiratory Syndrome) vaccines failed in part because, in both cases, Antibody-Dependent Enhancement (ADE) occurred in the animal trials, which made the diseases worse in some vaccinated animals and stalled the project. After 40 years, we still do not have a vaccine against HIV. It could take years for a vaccine, but Hawaiʻi could solve our problems without a vaccine.
Benefits of a COVD-19 Free Hawaiʻi
     How would Hawaiʻi benefit if we could "Stamp It Out, and Keep It Out?" I would leave that to your imagination but the increase in quality of life would be dramatic. Some examples:
     Our kūpuna in our nursing homes could stop cowering in fear of a horrible death and could see their families again. Our other vulnerable populations could breathe easier as well. My father is 101 years old and his mind is sharp as a tack. He was born during the 2018 flu pandemic and remembers hearing stories of its horrors as a child. He is now totally isolated in a Minnesota nursing home and just wants to die. Prior to COVID, my sisters visited him every day.
Hula from kūpuna of Lori Lee's Hula Studio. The kūpuna would be free
to gather again, for exercise and socialization, if COVID-19
were gone from the island. Photo by Julia Neal
     Our schools could reopen. Colleges could selectively recruit the best students from the mainland. They could recruit great faculty fleeing the COVID-ridden mainland. We could solve our teacher shortage. We could recruit the best and brightest teachers who wanted to teach in a school without fear of death. Older, more vulnerable, but experienced teachers would flock here.
     Our health care workers shortage would also be solved. Rather than facing death every day they work on the mainland, they could rejoice in our COVID-free workplace and lifestyle.
     The tech and dot.com industry from California would likely also see us as a fear-free paradise for them and they could bring their money and their skills, and provide great, high paying jobs.
The Future of Film & Tourism
     The film industry would love to come to a beautiful and COVID-free place.
     The tourists could be brought back with rigorous prescreening and we could reinvent our tourism industry to be more selective and emphasize quality not quantity. We would be the only COVID-free tourist destination in the world (although New Zealand and Australia might join us). What a great trifecta that would be. It is likely that we would free the neighbor islands of COVID initially, and those could be opened up to local and out-of-state tourism with appropriate screening. Oʻahu could join us with a little more work and in the meantime screened Oʻahu residents could take a COVID-fear-free break on the neighbor islands.
Ag, Real Estate, & the Military
     Our real estate industry would probably get so heated up that we would have to impose strict regulations to protect our local residents.
     The best is left for last. Our military, particularly our surface and undersea Navy – but also our best airmen, our marines, and our army – would love to be able to train and live in a COVID-free environment. They would not have to be penned up on their bases behind razor wire, fearing that their crews could be decimated by disease at sea. We could have a spending and building boom to support an increase in the Indo-Pacific Command and be able to stand up to China again. We could make our most important forward military bases secure and functional, as China is undoubtedly going to try and take advantage of this pandemic.
     Furthermore, if we can do this now, we can do it again when the next pandemic comes our way (and it will)!
     Let us join together to realize that with a little more patience, dedication, and hard work we can "Stamp It Out and Keep It Out!"

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DEADLINE IS EXTENDED for the revʻULUtion student art contest. Featuring ʻulu - the breadfruit grown in Hawaiʻi - student artists now have until June 30 to submit their art. Hawaiʻi ʻUlu Cooperative invites all students residing in Hawaiʻi in PreKindergarten through 12th grades, to create and submit original artwork that will be featured in an upcoming traveling art exhibit, a 13-month calendar, and across the internet on the cooperative's partners websites and social media.
     The purpose of the contest, announced Hawaiʻi ʻUlu Cooperative, is to raise awareness of ʻulu as a "resilient cultural and agricultural resource" that is a "viable option for increasing food security and self-sufficiency across the Hawaiian Islands. The ‘ulu tree is also an amazing kumu (teacher) and storyteller for past, present and future generations. Through the inspiration and opportunities presented by this indigenous crop, Hawai‘i can take meaningful steps towards a more sustainable way of life for all."
     Each student may submit as many pieces as they wish on 8.5 by 11 paper, in the landscape (horizontal) orientation. Any art medium, except computer graphics and photographs, may be used as long as the artwork is flat and can be scanned. Each entry must be accompanied by a short – 75 words or less – explanation of ʻUlu's Place in Hawaiʻi: Past, Present, and Future, and an entry form.
     Visit eatbreadfruit.com/pages/artcontest for more information and to submit an entry.

Roasted Kaʻū Coffee can be sold to USDA. Photo from Rusty's Hawaiian
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ROASTED HAWAIIAN COFFEE CAN BE SOLD TO THE USDA. Synergistic Hawaiʻi Agricultural Council is working to facilitate the sale of Hawaiʻi-grown coffee products to the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Those with roasted coffee to sell can contact Suzanne Shriner at suzanne@shachawaii.org with information about quantity, price, and packaging format.

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A WEBINAR ON BEEKEEPING AND PLANTING BEE-FRIENDLY NATIVE TREES will be presented by Hawaiʻi Farmers Union United - Kohala Chapter on Tuesday, May 12 from 6 p.m. to 7 p.m. Bees & Trees teaches about the environmental benefits of beekeeping and planting bee-friendly native trees.
     Speakers will be Jeremiah Morgan, Arborist and Earth Activist; Dawn Barnett, Bee Keeper; and Mariah Barnett, Bee Whisperer.
     There is no cost to attend, but registration is required in advance by emailing kohalahfuu@gmail.com or calling 808-990-3458 to obtain the Zoom meeting ID and password.

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ONLINE SUNDAY MORNING WORSHIP will be held by St. Jude's, here. Sunday sermons are also available online. Cindy Cutts says, "Special thanks to Reverend Constance in North Carolina and this week's worship team for their help in creating the on-line service." See stjudeshawaii.org.

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No COVID-19 cases so far in the zip code areas of Volcano, 
Pāhala, and Ocean View. White indicates zero cases, light 
yellow indicates one to five cases. The 96772 area in 
Kaʻū has one case recorded. Map from DOH
ONE NEW COVID-19 CASE ON HAWAIʻI ISLAND is reported by state Department of Health today. Two other new cases are on Oʻahu, and in Maui County. The state case total is 631. No new deaths were reported since Sunday; the state death toll is 17 since the pandemic began.
     On Hawaiʻi Island, of 75 COVID-19 victims, 72 are free from isolation. The remainder quarantine at home, monitored by DOH. Only one person stayed in a hospital overnight, and no one died here. Only one case in Kaʻū, in the 96772 zip code, is reported since January.
     The daily message from Hawaiʻi County Civil Defense Director Talmadge Magno says, "Hawaiʻi Island and State are doing very well in minimizing the spread and impact of the coronavirus. We need to continue to follow the policies of distancing, gatherings, face coverings, cleanliness, and keeping yourself physically and emotionally healthy as best as you can. Look out for each other. Be well and please wear your mask. Thank you for listening and a very happy Mother's Day weekend to all. This is your Hawaiʻi County Civil Defense."
     In the United States, more than 1.34 million cases have been confirmed, an increase of over 27,000 since yesterday. The number of confirmed recoveries is about 201,000, an increase of over 23,000 since yesterday. The death toll is over 79,696, an increase of more than 1,700 since yesterday.
     Worldwide, more than 4 million COVID-19 cases have been reported. More than 1.38 million recoveries have been reported. The death toll reported is over 279,000. However, many countries are unable to give accurate counts of the sick, the dead, and the recovered, and some countries may not be transparent with the true accounting of COVID-19.

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A hike through native Hawaiian forest along old sugar plantation waterways is offered during Kaʻū Coffee
Festival. Take a look back at other activities during festival week, canceled for this year during the pandemic.
Photo by Lee Neal
Kaʻū Life: The Way We Were Last Year
During Kaʻū Coffee Festival week, Kaʻū Valley Farms offers 
a tour of its hydroponic plant nursery. Photo by Lee Neal
     This time last year, a week of Kaʻū Coffee Festival events wrapped up. This year, all the events were planned but were canceled due to the coronavirus pandemic.
     The events included the Kaʻū Mountain Hike & Lunch above Kaʻū Coffee Mill. The annual experience begins with a ride through the coffee plantation, up the mountain, into the rainforest. Participants hike along old wooden flumes that carried water down the mountain to float sugar to the mill in Pāhala, which opened more than 100 years ago.
Kau kau at Kaʻū Coffee & Cattle Day at Aikane
Plantation. Photo by Lee Neal
     Kaʻū Valley Farms Tour & Lunch above Nāʻālehu offered a visit to its plant nursery, where hydroponic vegetables grow for public sale. The annual tour includes a look at coffee and tea plantings, native forest, and a trip up the slopes of Kahilipali Ahupua‘a. At the top of Pu‘u Ho‘omaha (Hill of Leisure), participants listen to stories of the Ahupua‘a and land tenure, from the Hawaiian Kingdom to present, while looking out over the expanse of the Kaʻū coastline, Volcano to South Point, the valley of Makino – relatively unknown to many, as it lies hidden from below the summit of Ho‘omaha – and the hills of Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park's Kahuku Unit.
     Kaʻū Coffee and Cattle Day at Aikane Plantation Coffee Farm included a farm and ranch tour, BBQ buffet, and hayride. The annual event takes participants deep into the history of the area. The home of Aikane Plantation Coffee is where descendants of the first coffee farmer in Kaʻū integrated coffee into cattle ranching and other agriculture. Also on offer each year is Hawaiian music and working with cattle and horses.
     The Kaʻū Stargazing event shuttled guests to a mountain above Pāhala. Each year, participants learn about the Hawaiian night sky and stars after the sunset. With the help of laser beams, participants are treated to an astronomy lesson, a history of the land, and some history of Kaʻū Coffee becoming the vibrant industry it is today.
     See photos from last year's Kaʻū Coffee Festival Hoʻolauleʻa on tomorrow's Kaʻū News Briefs. See photos from last year's Kaʻū Coffee College at Pāhala Community Center on next Saturday's Kaʻū News Briefs. See KauCoffeeFestival.com.
Kaʻū Coffee & Cattle Day shows off ranch and Kaʻū Coffee farming life at Aikane Plantation during the
Kaʻū Coffee Festival. Photo by Lee Neal

Read online at kaucalendar.comSee our Fresh Food on The Kaʻū 
Calendar directory for farms, ranches, takeout. Print edition of 
The Kaʻū Calendar is free, with 7,500 distributed on stands 
and to all postal addresses throughout Kaʻū, from Miloliʻi through 
Volcano throughout the district. Read online at 
kaucalendar.com and facebook.com/kaucalendar. To advertise your 
business or your social cause, contact kaucalendarads@gmail.com.
To read comments, add your own, and like this story, see Facebook. Follow us
on Instagram and
Twitter. See our Fresh Food on The Kaʻū Calendar and our latest print edition at kaucalendar.com.

Daily, weekly, and monthly recurring Kaʻū and 
Volcano Events, 
Meetings, Entertainment, Exercise, Meditation, and more are listed at kaucalendar.com. However, all non-essential activities are canceled through the end of May.

MOST EVENTS ARE CANCELLED to stem the spread of the novel coronavirus. The state is under a stay-at-home order, with l4 days of quarantine required for anyone coming into the state. Interisland travel is restricted. Those in Hawaiʻi should stay at home unless needing to obtain food or medical care.

ONGOING
Free COVID-19 Screenings are at Bay Clinic during business hours, with appointment. Call 333-3600.
     A testing team from Aloha Critical Care in Kona will provide testing at St. Jude's every other Wednesday. The next date is May 20 from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.
     The next drive-thru screening at Nāʻālehu Community Center will be held Wednesday, May 13 from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Screening will be carried out by Aliʻi Health, with support from County of Hawai‘i COVID-19 Task Force, Premier Medical Group and Pathways Telehealth.
     Wearing masks is required for everyone.
     To bypass the screening queue at community test sites, patients can call ahead to Pathways Telehealth, option 5 at 808-747-8321. The free clinic will also offer on-site screening to meet testing criteria. Physicians qualify those for testing, under the guidance of Center for Disease Control & Prevention and Hawaiʻi's COVID-19 Response Task Force.
     Those visiting screening clinics will be asked to show photo ID, and any health insurance cards – though health insurance is not required to be tested. They are also asked to bring their own pen to fill in forms.
     For further information, call Civil Defense at 935-0031.

ʻO Kaʻū Kākou Market in Nāʻālehu is open three days per week – Monday, Wednesday, and Friday – from 8 a.m. to noon. The goal is no more than 50 customers on the grounds at a time. Vendor booths per day are limited to 25, with 30 feet of space between vendors. Masks and hand sanitizing are required to attend the market. Social distancing will be enforced. A wide selection of fresh vegetables and fruits, prepared take away foods, assorted added value foods, breads and baked goods, honey, cheese, grass-fed beef, fish, vegetable plants, masks, handmade soaps, coffee, and more are offered on various days. Contact Sue Barnett, OKK Market Manager, at 808-345-9374, for more and to apply to vend.

Volcano Farmers Market at Cooper Center on Wright Road, off of Old Volcano Highway, is open on Sundays from 6 a.m. to 10 a.m., with much local produce, island beef, and prepared foods. Call 808-967-7800.

Free Breakfast and Lunch for Anyone Eighteen and Under is available at Kaʻū High & Pāhala Elementary and at Nāʻālehu Elementary weekdays through May. Each youth must be present to receive a meal. Service is drive-up or walk-up, and social distancing rules (at least six feet away) are observed. Breakfast is served 7:30 a.m. to 8 a.m., lunch from 11:30 a.m. to noon. Food is being delivered to Ocean View.

St. Jude's Episcopal Church Soup Kitchen is open, with a modified menu and increased health & safety standards, every Saturday from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Hot showers, the computer lab, and in-person services and bible studies are suspended. Services are posted online on Sundays at stjudeshawaii.org.

The Food Basket Food Pantries Distribution, where families can receive 14 days of food per family:
     The Ocean View location for May is Kahuku Park on Monday, May 11, 10 a.m. to noon. Call The Food Basket, 933-6030.
     The Nāʻālehu location Sacred Heart Church at 95-558 Mamālahoa Hwy, under their Loaves and Fishes program, on Thursday, May 28 from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. Call 928-8208.
     The Pāhala location is Kaʻū District Gym at 96-1149 Kamani Street, distributed by the ʻO Kaʻū Kākou Pantry, on Tuesday, May 26, 10 a.m. to noon. Call The Food Basket, 933-6030.
     The Volcano location is Cooper Center at 19-4030 Wright Road Wednesday, May 27 from 10 a.m. to noon. Call Kehau at 443-4130.

On-Call Emergency Box Food Pantry is open at Cooper Center Tuesdays through Saturdays from 11 a.m. to noon. Call 967-7800 to confirm.

The Next Learning Packet and Student Resource Distribution for Nāʻālehu Elementary School Students will be Monday, May 11. The packets are designed for learning at home during the COVID-19 pandemic, and can be picked up every two weeks. One family member may pick up for several students in the same family. Students need not be present for the learning resources to be retrieved. Please note the grade of each child. Distribution times are organized by the first letter of the student's last name at the site closest to their home. Supplies will be given out simultaneously.
     Everyone is asked to observe social distancing rules, staying 6 feet away from others during pick-up. See the school website, naalehuel.hidoe.us, for more information and updates.
     Distribution at Nāʻālehu Elementary has pick-up from 8 a.m - 8:20 a.m. for A-H; 8:20 a.m. - 8:40 a.m. for I-P, and 8:40 a.m. - 9 a.m. for Q-Z.
     Distribution at Discovery Harbour Community Center has pick-up from 8 a.m - 8:20 a.m. for A-H; 8:20 a.m. - 8:40 a.m. for I-P, and 8:40 a.m. - 9 a.m. for Q-Z.
     Distribution at Ocean View Mālama Market has pick-up from 9:30 a.m. - 9:50 a.m. for A-H, 9:50 a.m. - 10:10 a.m. for I-P, and 10:10 a.m. - 10:30 a.m. for Q-Z.
     Distribution at Ocean View Community Center has pick-up from 5 p.m. - 5:20 p.m. for A-H, 5:20 p.m. - 5:40 p.m. for I-P, and 5:40 p.m. - 6 p.m. for Q-Z.
     Those who come to campus to pick up free student breakfasts are encouraged to also pick up their packets at the same time.

Kīlauea Visitor Center Auditorium Closed for Renovation through June 30. The Park is closed until further notice due to COVID-19 spread mitigation. A popular seven-and-a-half minute 2018 eruption video will be shown on a television in the exhibits area, once the Park and center reopen, and is available online for free download.

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