Kaʻū News Briefs, Monday Dec. 26, 2022

The new film History of Kaʻū Coffee highlights local farmers competing internationally to build the brand.
Photo from Kaʻū Coffee Festival     

THE HISTORY OF KA'Ū COFFEE is the title of the new 20-minute film presented by one of the longtime Kaʻū Coffee Festival organizers Chris Manfredi and Hawai'i Tourism Authority. It has been launched on You Tube at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tnIME-30ABg.
    A statement from the filmmakers says, "The History of Kaʻū Coffee shares the pioneering spirit and challenges of coffee growers in the state's largest agricultural region that sprawls windward to leeward on the southern half of Hawai'i Island." Videography is by Ruslan Kuznetsov and Hawaiian music is provided by the Keaiwa band of Kaʻū.
    Short interviews with Kaʻū coffee growers and some of those who helped them achieve success illustrate the effort to create an award-winning coffee and establish Kaʻū as a premiere coffee region. Those featured include Trinidad Marques of Ali'i Hawaiian Hula Hands Coffee; Merle Becker of Aikane Plantation; Joan Obra of Rusty's Hawaiian and Isla Custom Coffees; Brenda Iokepa-Moses, former land management analyst of Kaʻū Agribusiness; John Cross, former manager of Kaʻū Coffee Mill; and Manfredi who produced and directed the film, has been a broker for Kaʻū Coffee and heads up Hawai'i Coffee Association.
    Using historic photos, and interviews of farmers, the film explains that the Kaʻū sugar industry provided the economic engine and infrastructure for everyday life in Kaʻū. When the last plantation closed in 1996, a group of residents turned to growing coffee, receiving help from Kaʻū's congressional delegation, the

The new film on Kaʻū Coffee history focuses on farmers and building
of an international brand. Photo from Kaʻū Coffee Festival

U.S. Department of Agriculture, state and county government and University of Hawai'i. Sugar workers and other community members made the transition from plantation system to private enterprise, the farmers learning to be in charge of their own success, and many of them winding up owning their own farms.          The film also points to Ed Olson's creation of Kaʻū Coffee Mill as a place where farmers process their own coffee for their own labels and for sale to other brands.
    The film touches on early challenges faced by Kaʻū Coffee growers, and focuses on the outreach to international marketing at the 2007 Specialty Coffee Association of America competition. Two of the Kaʻū Coffee entries placed sixth and ninth in the worldwide field of entries. The film quotes Manfredi saying on camera that "Kaʻū coffee became front page news and talked about within the international specialty coffee scene. This success brought a resurgence in community pride." The statement on the film says "farmers rolled up their sleeves and returned to their abandoned fields." Manfredi says, "We hired consultants who taught Kaʻū growers best farming practices, how to ID bean defects and store coffee." He added that the collective goal among the growers was to offer a higher volume of Kaʻū coffee to attract buyers. The statement on the film notes that "five subsequent SCAA

Coffee of the Year Awards put Kaʻū on the world-class coffee map." 

    The Kaʻū Coffee Festival debuted in 2009 to promote and celebrate the now famous brew, its premium coffee origin and the Kaʻū District as a visitor destination. Footage in the new film recalls the festival offering opportunities to meet the growers and sample coffee, take a farm tour, learn how to brew coffee a variety of ways. It immersed participants in the community for more than ten days of activities like stargazing, a ranch tour and an indoor-outdoor ho'olaule'a celebration with local hula, Hawaiian music and local non-profits selling "broke-da-mouth food."
    The statement from Kaʻū Coffee Festival says the film "is dedicated to the spirit of hard-working Kaʻū coffee growers—past, present and future—and ends with a message of hope for Kaʻū coffee farming to successfully continue in the verdant valleys of Kaʻū while keeping Kaʻū families connected to the land." 
    For info and additional 2022 virtual Kaʻū Festival offerings, visit www.KauCoffeeFest.com and follow Kaʻū Coffee Festival on Facebook and @kaucoffeefest on Twitter and Instagram. Support is provided by Hawai'i Tourism through the Community Enrichment Program.
    Kaʻū Coffee Festival also released a statement on its history: "Founded in coffee traditions dating to the 1800s—Kaʻū coffee burst onto the specialty coffee scene by winning numerous coffee quality awards. These accolades highlight the unique combination of people and place that makes Kaʻū coffee a favorite across the globe. Held annually, the mission of the Kaʻū Coffee Festival is to raise awareness of Kaʻū as a world-class, coffee-growing origin."

    The film is dedicated to late Kaʻū Coffee growers Bull Kailiawa, Manuel Marques and Ruby Javaar.

See The Ka'ū Calendar in the mail and in stands from Volcano through Miloli'i. Also see stories daily on Facebook and at www.kaunewsbriefs.blogspot.com.

TREECYCLING IS UNDERWAY FOR FOR LIVE CUT CHRISTMAS TREEES at locations operated by County of Hawai'i's Solid Waste Division of the Department of Environmental Management and Recycling Hawai'i. Dec. 26 through Jan. 20, residents leave trees at designated areas - not in rubbish chutes - during regular hours at all Solid Waste Division Facilities on the island except for Ocean View

Transfer Station. Facility attendants direct the public to drop-off areas. For more info, map and directions, see hawaiizerowaste.org/facilities/.
Free the trees from decorations, stands, lights, tinsel and ornaments. Artificial and flocked trees are not treecycled. Flocked, artificial and trees with tinsel are not recyclable and may be disposed of in the regular trash chutes.
All commercial customers must recycle trees at either the East Hawai‘i Organics Facility in Hilo or the West Hawai‘i Organics Facility in Pu‘uanahulu. Residential loads that contain both green waste and trees will be required to scale. All commercial haulers or commercial holiday tree collectors must proceed to the County scale house prior to disposal.
The County recommends recycling Kadomatsu decorations with other greenwaste. Kadomatsu decorations are normally a combination of bamboo, pine and flowers. Kadomatsu is a tradition that began 600 years ago in Japan as a way of offering luck in the New Year.
For more information on Recycling in Hawai‘i County, visit www.hawaiizerowaste.org. Call Solid Waste Division Office at 961-8270.

See The Ka'ū Calendar in the mail and in stands from Volcano through Miloli'i. Also see stories daily on Facebook and at www.kaunewsbriefs.blogspot.com.

UPCOMING EVENTS

Christmas Lights & Icons Show brightens up the corner of Lehua and Palm in Ranchos at Ocean View every evening. See story at www.kaucalendar.com.

Holiday Lighting and Decor dress up the cottages at Kīlauea Military Camp for the public to see. See story at www.kaucalendar.com.

Christmas in the Country is ongoing until the New Year at Volcano Art Center Gallery and VAC's Ni’aulani Campus. See story at kaucalendar.com.

The Hiking Incentive Program at Kahuku Unit of Hawai'i Volcanoes National Park wraps up at the end of year. For the Kūkini Challenge, hikers, and walkers can turn in miles, recording them at the Visitor Contact Station for a chance to win a silver water flask and accolades for the fourth quarter of 2022.

FREE FOOD

St. Jude's Hot Meals are free to those in need on Saturdays from 9 a.m. until food runs out, no later than noon. Volunteers from the community are welcome to help and can contact Karen at pooch53@gmail.com. Location is 96-8606 Paradise Circle Drive in Ocean View.

   Those in need can also take hot showers from 9 a.m. to noon and use the computer lab from 9:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. Masks and social distancing required.

Ka'ū Food Pantry Distribution, Tuesday, Dec. 27, 9:30 a.m. until pau at St. Jude's Episcopal Church above Kahuku Park in Ocean View. Sponsored by Hawai'i Island Food Basket.

'O Ka'ū Kākou Pantry Food Distribution, Tuesday, Dec. 27, 10 a.m. until pau at Ka'ū District Gym in Pāhala. Sponsored by Hawai'i Island Food Basket.

Cooper Center Community Pantry Food Distribution, Wednesday, Dec. 28, 9:30 a.m - 11 a.m. at 19- 4030 Wright Road in Volcano. Sponsored by Hawai'i Island Food Basket.

Free Meals Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays are served from 12:30 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. at Nā'ālehu Hongwanji. Volunteers prepare the food provided by 'O Ka'ū Kākou with fresh produce from its gardens on the farm of Eva Liu, who supports the project. Other community members also make donations and approximately 150 meals are served each day, according to OKK President Wayne Kawachi.

See The Ka'ū Calendar in the mail and in stands from Volcano through Miloli'i. Also see stories daily on Facebook and at www.kaunewsbriefs.blogspot.com.

OUTDOOR MARKETS

Volcano Evening Market, Cooper Center, Volcano Village, Thursdays, 3 p.m. to 6 p.m., with live music, artisan crafts, ono grinds, and fresh produce. See facebook.com.

Volcano Swap Meet, fourth Saturday of the month from 8 a.m. to noon. Large variety of vendors with numerous products. Tools, clothes, books, toys, local made healing extract and creams, antiques, jewelry, gemstones, crystals, food, music, plants, fruits, and vegetables. Also offered are cakes, coffee, and shave ice. Live music.

Volcano Farmers Market, Cooper Center, Volcano Village on Sundays, 6 a.m. to 10 a.m., with local produce, baked goods, food to go, island beef and Ka'ū Coffee. EBT is used for Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, formerly Food Stamps. Call 808-967-7800.

'O Ka'ū Kākou Market, Nā'ālehu, Wednesdays, 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. Contact Nadine Ebert at 808-938-5124 or June Domondon 808-938-4875. See facebook.com/OKauKakouMarket.

Ocean View Community Market, Saturdays and Wednesdays, 6:30 a.m. to 2 p.m., corner of Kona Drive and Highway 11, where Thai Grindz is located. Masks mandatory. 100-person limit, social distancing required. Gate unlocked for vendors at 5:30 a.m., $15 dollars, no reservations needed. Parking in the upper lot only. Vendors must provide their own sanitizer. Food vendor permits required. Carpooling is encouraged.

Ocean View Swap Meet at Ocean View makai shopping center, near Mālama Market. Hours for patrons are 8 a.m. to 3 p.m., Saturday and Sunday. Vendor set-up time is 5 a.m. Masks required.

The Book Shack is open every Wednesday, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. on the Kauaha'ao Congregational Church grounds at 95-1642 Pinao St. in Wai'ōhinu.

See daily, weekly, and monthly events, and more, on page 8 and page 9 of the monthly print edition.

https://kindest.com/pg_jVPf6aP8dP-the-alala-project-na-koa-manu-conservation-inc

Kaʻū News Briefs, Sunday, Dec. 25, 2022

View video on the Hawaiian honeycreeper named Christmas at https://vimeo.com/783781486. Photo from DLNR

A HONEYCREEPER NAMED CHRISTMAS IS THE SEASON'S STAR in the campaign to save Hawai'i's endangered birds. Hawai'i state Department of Land & Natural Resources notes that Christmas, at nine years of age, is possibly the oldest ʻakiapōlāʻau living in the wild. The fate of several types of Hawaiian honeycreepers hangs in the balance, with the possibility of at least two species going extinct in the very near future.

    ʻAkiapōlāʻau, the Hawaiian honeycreepers endemic to Hawai‘i Island, have long, curved beaks and evolved to fill the niche occupied elsewhere by woodpeckers. They feed on insects from the branches of native trees and nectar from flowers shaped like their bills and also look for larvae on the forest floor. An endangered species, there are only around 1,900 ʻakiapōlāʻau remaining.
    The ʻAkiapōlāʻau  named Christmas, and also called Mele, is identified by his red and green leg band used by researchers to identify him when he’s caught in mist nets in the sprawling 19,000-acre Pu‘u Maka‘ala Natural Area Reserve outside Hilo.

      The fate of several types of Hawaiian honeycreepers hangs in the balance, with the possibility of at least two species going extinct in the very near future.
    ʻAkiapōlāʻau, Hawaiian honeycreepers endemic to Hawai‘i Island, have long, curved beaks evolved to fill the niche occupied by woodpeckers. They feed on insects from the branches of native trees and nectar from flowers shaped like their bills and also look for larvae on the forest floor. An endangered species, there are only around 1,900 ʻakiapōlāʻau remaining.
    The ʻAkiapōlāʻau  named Christmas, and also called Mele, is identified by his red and green leg band used by researchers to identify him when he’s caught in mist nets in the sprawling 19,000-acre Pu‘u Maka‘ala Natural Area Reserve outside Hilo.

The Hawaiian honeycreeper named Christmas has been banded and studied. He is nine years old. Photo from DLNR

    Bird researchers, like Bret Nainoa Mossman, routinely use nets to catch numerous species of honeycreepers to test them for avian malaria, the disease that is threatening ʻakiapōlāʻau and all Hawaiian honeycreepers, some with imminent extinction.
   He said that “1,900 birds seem like a high number, but ʻakiapōlāʻau have been on the endangered species list since 1967 because of their low population and reproductive numbers, a fragmented population and habitat loss. However, aggressive forest restoration, predator control, and removal of feral ungulates in the natural area reserve and by neighboring watershed partners is painting a really heartening story.” 
    ʻAkiapōlāʻau population increases can be attributed to those decades of forest management and restoration, and recent efforts to reduce feline and rodent predators.
    Another endangered bird of keen interest to Mossman is the ʻōmaʻo "because they eat fruit and are doing some planting (forest restoration) for us. They’re actually helping us to regenerate the native forest even quicker than if we were doing it ourselves.”

    Moreover, ʻōmaʻo have shown resistance to avian malaria. “They seem to be able to live with the disease, but malaria coupled with predators is still driving them to decline in numbers,” Mossman said. There are an estimated 100,000 ʻōmaʻo on the Big Island and they gained some notoriety during the recent Mauna Loa eruption where field cameras caught them hopping around in the lava right near an active fissure.

ʻŌmaʻo on Mauna Loa where they were seen hopping around lava flows in the recent eruption.
Photo from DLNR

   In every species and in every bird, researchers find little presents, nuggets of knowledge, that are helping them learn lessons that may prove helpful in the continuing battle to reduce mosquito populations in their habitats and control avian malaria.
    Tens of thousands of koa trees have been planted at Pu‘u Maka‘ala and on neighboring lands, but it takes roughly ten years for them to become good bird habitat. Mossman says many of the koa were planted in the last seven or eight years, but already ʻakiapōlāʻau and ʻalawī are starting to use the koa trees.
    One of Christmas’ offspring has moved from the north side of the NAR to the south side, to an area where 10,000 koa trees have been planted. “It’s rewarding to see a ʻakiapōlāʻau we banded as a baby in this kipuka, and he has now settled in a completely different place. So, we’ve seen three generations of ʻakiapōlāʻau, in the five years I’ve been working here.”
    Mossman noted. “It’s been really nice to see that we can keep tabs on these birds, track their relationships, and observe how they’re taking advantage of what we’ve created for them. Something more to celebrate this holiday season.”

See The Ka'ū Calendar in the mail and in stands from Volcano through Miloli'i. Also see stories daily on Facebook and at www.kaunewsbriefs.blogspot.com.

RURAL HAWAI'I, REPRESENTED BY CONGRESSMAN KAI KAHELE UNTIL JAN. 3, is receiving
$20,867,981 in Community Project Funding that he secured in the omnibus government funding Fiscal

Year 2023 bill. "This funding responds directly to some of the most pressing needs in Hawaiʻi's 2nd Congressional District and results from numerous congressional site visits," made by Kahele and his team in 2022, said a statement from his office.
    The projects include: $744,000 to Department of Land & Natural Resources for a Forest Health Project; $372,000 for the Hawaiʻi Agriculture Foundation STEM programs that incorporate innovative agriculture technologies; $1,000,000 for the The Nature Conservancy for Hawai'i and Palmyra; and $745,000 for the Hui Malama O Ke Kai Youth Development Community Center. 

    The statement from Kahele says the "funding package will create good-paying American jobs, grow opportunities for the middle class and small businesses, and provide a lifeline for working families. Taken together, the funding for Hawaiʻi's 2nd District and the funding increases for critical government programs will continue to reverse decades of disinvestment in our communities." He called the funding "long overdue," and said it will also support the nonprofits and organizations that make a difference in the everyday lives of Hawaiʻi's people." He said they will also "make us safer, strengthen our communities, preserve and perpetuate our culture and start to tackle climate change."

See The Ka'ū Calendar in the mail and in stands from Volcano through Miloli'i. Also see stories daily on Facebook and at www.kaunewsbriefs.blogspot.com.

LEGISLATION TO HELP VETS IN MARSHALL ISLANDS, PALAU, AMERICAN SAMOA, GUAM, NORTHERN MARIANAS, MICRONESIA, PUERTO RICO AND U.S. VIRGIN ISLANDS has been signed by the U.S. President. It was introduced by Senators Mazie Hirono and Delegate Gregorio Kilili

Camacho Sablan, of the Northern Marianas, to create a VA Advisory Committee on United States Outlying Areas and Freely Associated States.
    The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs "has a duty to provide quality, accessible care and support to all of our veterans, no matter where they live," said Hirono. "This legislation will help ensure VA is aware of, and responsive to, the needs of U.S. veterans living in outlying areas and the Freely Associated States. As a member of the Senate Veterans' Affairs Committee, I'm glad to see this legislation signed into law to help VA better serve our veterans across the Pacific."

    As a senior member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, Senator Hirono also secured numerous defense-related provisions in the FY23 NDAA, including $1 billion for the closure of the Red Hill Bulk Fuel Storage Facility on O'ahu, as well as nearly $800 million for other military infrastructure projects across Hawai'i.

See The Ka'ū Calendar in the mail and in stands from Volcano through Miloli'i. Also see stories daily on Facebook and at www.kaunewsbriefs.blogspot.com.

UPCOMING EVENTS

Christmas Lights & Icons Show brightens up the corner of Lehua and Palm in Ranchos at Ocean View every evening. See story at www.kaucalendar.com.

Holiday Lighting and Decor dress up the cottages at Kīlauea Military Camp for the public to see. See story at www.kaucalendar.com.

Christmas in the Country is ongoing until the New Year at Volcano Art Center Gallery and VAC's Ni’aulani Campus. See story at kaucalendar.com.

The Hiking Incentive Program at Kahuku Unit of Hawai'i Volcanoes National Park wraps up at the end of year. For the Kūkini Challenge, hikers, and walkers can turn in miles, recording them at the Visitor Contact Station for a chance to win a silver water flask and accolades for the fourth quarter of 2022.

FREE FOOD

St. Jude's Hot Meals are free to those in need on Saturdays from 9 a.m. until food runs out, no later than noon. Volunteers from the community are welcome to help and can contact Karen at pooch53@gmail.com. Location is 96-8606 Paradise Circle Drive in Ocean View.

   Those in need can also take hot showers from 9 a.m. to noon and use the computer lab from 9:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. Masks and social distancing required.

Ka'ū Food Pantry Distribution, Tuesday, Dec. 27, 9:30 a.m. until pau at St. Jude's Episcopal Church above Kahuku Park in Ocean View. Sponsored by Hawai'i Island Food Basket.

'O Ka'ū Kākou Pantry Food Distribution, Tuesday, Dec. 27, 10 a.m. until pau at Ka'ū District Gym in Pāhala. Sponsored by Hawai'i Island Food Basket.

Cooper Center Community Pantry Food Distribution, Wednesday, Dec. 28, 9:30 a.m - 11 a.m. at 19- 4030 Wright Road in Volcano. Sponsored by Hawai'i Island Food Basket.

Free Meals Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays are served from 12:30 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. at Nā'ālehu Hongwanji. Volunteers prepare the food provided by 'O Ka'ū Kākou with fresh produce from its gardens on the farm of Eva Liu, who supports the project. Other community members also make donations and approximately 150 meals are served each day, according to OKK President Wayne Kawachi.

See The Ka'ū Calendar in the mail and in stands from Volcano through Miloli'i. Also see stories daily on Facebook and at www.kaunewsbriefs.blogspot.com.

OUTDOOR MARKETS

Volcano Evening Market, Cooper Center, Volcano Village, Thursdays, 3 p.m. to 6 p.m., with live music, artisan crafts, ono grinds, and fresh produce. See facebook.com.

Volcano Swap Meet, fourth Saturday of the month from 8 a.m. to noon. Large variety of vendors with numerous products. Tools, clothes, books, toys, local made healing extract and creams, antiques, jewelry, gemstones, crystals, food, music, plants, fruits, and vegetables. Also offered are cakes, coffee, and shave ice. Live music.

Volcano Farmers Market, Cooper Center, Volcano Village on Sundays, 6 a.m. to 10 a.m., with local produce, baked goods, food to go, island beef and Ka'ū Coffee. EBT is used for Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, formerly Food Stamps. Call 808-967-7800.

'O Ka'ū Kākou Market, Nā'ālehu, Wednesdays, 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. Contact Nadine Ebert at 808-938-5124 or June Domondon 808-938-4875. See facebook.com/OKauKakouMarket.

Ocean View Community Market, Saturdays and Wednesdays, 6:30 a.m. to 2 p.m., corner of Kona Drive and Highway 11, where Thai Grindz is located. Masks mandatory. 100-person limit, social distancing required. Gate unlocked for vendors at 5:30 a.m., $15 dollars, no reservations needed. Parking in the upper lot only. Vendors must provide their own sanitizer. Food vendor permits required. Carpooling is encouraged.

Ocean View Swap Meet at Ocean View makai shopping center, near Mālama Market. Hours for patrons are 8 a.m. to 3 p.m., Saturday and Sunday. Vendor set-up time is 5 a.m. Masks required.

The Book Shack is open every Wednesday, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. on the Kauaha'ao Congregational Church grounds at 95-1642 Pinao St. in Wai'ōhinu.

See daily, weekly, and monthly events, and more, on page 8 and page 9 of the monthly print edition.

https://kindest.com/pg_jVPf6aP8dP-the-alala-project-na-koa-manu-conservation-inc

Kaʻū News Briefs, Saturday, Dec. 24, 2022

The Lopez family of Pahala created its own curbside drive-by with gifts, entertainment and snacks
on Friday. See more below. Photos from the Lopez Ohana

THE LIFE SAVING GIFT OF BLOOD is a present that Gov. Josh Green has invited the public to give

Gov. Josh Green gives blood and asks the public to 
give this gift of life during the holidays, as Hawai'i'i 
faces a blood shortage. Photo from Josh Green

during the holidays. In a message this week, Green said that 60 percent of Hawai'i's population will need blood at some point and that the state is critically short of blood for transfusions. Green wrote, "Donating blood saves lives. All December long, when you donate blood, the Blood Bank of Hawai'i will make your generosity go further by providing a meal for the hungry through the Hawai‘i Foodbank. So step up, sign up, and help out those that need it most." See https://www.bbh.org/. Locations are on O'ahu.

To read comments, add your own, and like this story, see www.facebook.com/kaucalendar. See latest print edition at www.kaucalendar.com.

LIFESAVING COLONOSCOPY WAS A CAUSE FOR CONGRESSMAN KAI KAHELE this week as he posted a video on his own procedure and pointed out that Native Hawaiian men have the highest death rates in the

Congressman Kai Kahele encourages everyone to get a
colonoscopy and put his experience on YouTube.

state for colorectal cancer. "Colorectal Cancer is the third most common cancer in Hawaiʻi, leading to nearly 220 deaths in our state yearly. Native Hawaiian men (kāne) have the highest death rate from colon cancer among all ethnic groups. Data shows that more than 58 percent of kāne over age 50 have never been screened.
    "Join me, as I take you along the ride for my first colonoscopy - and ask your doctor about getting a screening; it just might save your life." See the YouTube on Kahele’s colonoscopy at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aLsNvM0wjAM.

To read comments, add your own, and like this story, see www.facebook.com/kaucalendar. See latest print edition at www.kaucalendar.com.

See the Merrie Christmas message from  Congressman Kai Kahele
 in his Hilo office at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pLgKgbm-8TQ.

PRESIDING OVER THE FLOOR OF THE U.S. HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES  for a final time this week before leaving office at the beginning of January, Rep. Kai Kahele released a message: "It was an honor to preside over the floor of the House for my final time in the 117th Congress. Since statehood in 1959, only 18 individuals have ever represented Hawai’i in Congress. From Miloli’i to Hilo to Washington D.C. it has truly been an experience of a lifetime."

      

He also pointed to a success for Hawaiian language. "As a parent to two daughters who have been raised in the ʻōlelo Hawaiʻi immersion education program since they were 15 months old, I was proud to cast my yes vote for S.989, a bill authored by my colleague Sen. Brian Schatz - The Native American Language Resource Center Act. As the act was headed to Pres. Joe Biden's

Hot cocoa and Christmas snacks from the Lopez family.

desk, Kahele called it a "Big deal for the indigenous language revitalization movement nationally and Senator Schatz made sure - Native Hawaiians were included in the bill."

    See Kahele and his Hilo's staff's Merry Christmas songs and hula at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pLgKgbm-8TQ.

See The Ka'ū Calendar in the mail and in stands from Volcano through Miloli'i. Also see stories daily on Facebook and at www.kaunewsbriefs.blogspot.com.

AN 'OHANA CHRISTMAS DRIVE BY was sponsored by the Lopez Ohana on Friday, Dec. 23 from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. in Pāhala. The sponsors released a statement saying,"We the Lopez 'ohana would like to thank our community for a successful event this year. Our ohana wanted to be a blessing to our community we all call home and what a better way to spread some Christmas cheer!" The event featured gifts, food, Santa and entertainment.

See The Ka'ū Calendar in the mail and in stands from Volcano through Miloli'i. Also see stories daily on Facebook and at www.kaunewsbriefs.blogspot.com.

Santa Cy Lopez with grandchild Kala'i Sakuma 

UPCOMING EVENTS

Christmas Lights & Icons Show brightens up the corner of Lehua and Palm in Ranchos at Ocean View every evening. Santa will be there on Christmas Day with a drawing for bikes to be given on Christmas Day. See story at www.kaucalendar.com.

Holiday Lighting and Decor are dressing up the cottages at Kīlauea Military Camp for the public to see. See story at www.kaucalendar.com.

Christmas in the Country is ongoing until the New Year at Volcano Art Center Gallery and VAC's Ni’aulani Campus. See story at kaucalendar.com.

The Hiking Incentive Program at Kahuku Unit of Hawai'i Volcanoes National Park wraps up at the end of year. For the Kūkini Challenge, hikers, and walkers can turn in miles, recording them at the Visitor Contact Station for a chance to win a silver water flask and accolades for the fourth quarter of 2022.

Keiki met Christmas characters at the Lopez event.

FREE FOOD

St. Jude's Hot Meals are free to those in need on Saturdays from 9 a.m. until food runs out, no later than noon. Volunteers from the community are welcome to help and can contact Karen at pooch53@gmail.com. Location is 96-8606 Paradise Circle Drive in Ocean View.

   Those in need can also take hot showers from 9 a.m. to noon and use the computer lab from 9:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. Masks and social distancing required.

Ka'ū Food Pantry Distribution, Tuesday, Dec. 27, 9:30 a.m. until pau at St. Jude's Episcopal Church above Kahuku Park in Ocean View. Sponsored by Hawai'i Island Food Basket.

'O Ka'ū Kākou Pantry Food Distribution, Tuesday, Dec. 27, 10 a.m. until pau at Ka'ū District Gym in Pāhala. Sponsored by Hawai'i Island Food Basket.

Cooper Center Community Pantry Food Distribution, Wednesday, Dec. 28, 9:30 a.m - 11 a.m. at 19- 4030 Wright Road in Volcano. Sponsored by Hawai'i Island Food Basket.

Free Meals Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays are served from 12:30 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. at Nā'ālehu Hongwanji. Volunteers prepare the food provided by 'O Ka'ū Kākou with fresh produce from its gardens on the farm of Eva Liu, who supports the project. Other community members also make donations and approximately 150 meals are served each day, according to OKK President Wayne Kawachi.

See The Ka'ū Calendar in the mail and in stands from Volcano through Miloli'i. Also see stories daily on Facebook and at www.kaunewsbriefs.blogspot.com.

OUTDOOR MARKETS

Volcano Evening Market, Cooper Center, Volcano Village, Thursdays, 3 p.m. to 6 p.m., with live music, artisan crafts, ono grinds, and fresh produce. See facebook.com.

Volcano Swap Meet, 2nd and 4th Saturdays of the month from 8 a.m. to noon. Large variety of vendors with numerous products. Tools, clothes, books, toys, local made healing extract and creams, antiques, jewelry, gemstones, crystals, food, music, plants, fruits, and vegetables. Also offered are cakes, coffee, and shave ice. Live music.

Volcano Farmers Market, Cooper Center, Volcano Village on Sundays, 6 a.m. to 10 a.m., with local produce, baked goods, food to go, island beef and Ka'ū Coffee. EBT is used for Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, formerly Food Stamps. Call 808-967-7800.

'O Ka'ū Kākou Market, Nā'ālehu, Wednesdays, 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. Contact Nadine Ebert at 808-938-5124 or June Domondon 808-938-4875. See facebook.com/OKauKakouMarket.

Ocean View Community Market, Saturdays and Wednesdays, 6:30 a.m. to 2 p.m., corner of Kona Drive and Highway 11, where Thai Grindz is located. Masks mandatory. 100-person limit, social distancing required. Gate unlocked for vendors at 5:30 a.m., $15 dollars, no reservations needed. Parking in the upper lot only. Vendors must provide their own sanitizer. Food vendor permits required. Carpooling is encouraged.

Ocean View Swap Meet at Ocean View makai shopping center, near Mālama Market. Hours for patrons are 8 a.m. to 3 p.m., Saturday and Sunday. Vendor set-up time is 5 a.m. Masks required.

The Book Shack is open every Wednesday, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. on the Kauaha'ao Congregational Church grounds at 95-1642 Pinao St. in Wai'ōhinu.

See daily, weekly, and monthly events, and more, on page 8 and page 9 of the monthly print edition.

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