MEDIA RELEASE
Mala‘ai school garden will roll out a delicious new idea for the Waimea/North Hawai’i community this coming Wednesday, June 25 from 5:30-7:30 p.m. by preparing and serving a free yummy dinner open to everyone to fulfill a belief that “Everyone Needs A Good Meal!” and also, as educators and healthy lifestyle advocates, it’s a school garden’s kuleana “to make it easy to do the right thing – eat healthier food.”
The dinner gathering will be at Kahilu Town Hall – across from Kahilu Theatre and immediately next door to Waimea Middle School’s one acre organic Mala‘ai garden that grows fruits and vegetables, supports core curriculum at Waimea Middle School, and educates the wider community about healthy choices for themselves and the aina.
“But what we really ‘grow’ is healthier kids — the garden exists to support 6th through 8th graders in growing and thriving and finding themselves and their greater purpose in the topsy-turvy world that we live in,” said Mala‘ai’s Executive Director Alethea Lai.
“Part of our work is teaching students to make healthy choices for themselves, but an equally important part is teaching them that they are important to this community — that each and every one of them can contribute positively to our town and that they can make a difference. Positive empowerment builds confidence and helps to create our future leaders,” she said.
Mala`ai has been thinking about ways for students to become more involved with the larger community.
The Super Kitchen idea came from Board President Vivienne Aronowitz. “We often hold workshops and events, but largely without the students on the weekends. Suddenly, it struck us! We wanted to start a “Super Kitchen” — not a soup kitchen, but a super kitchen where everyone could come together and share a community meal, just as we do all the time with students in our garden.”
“Our students could take lead roles, and they would have an opportunity to share the recipes and healthy eating that they experience in the garden. We could have rotating chefs take the lead organizing the cooking with the student’s assistance. The lead chef would first come to our garden and make the recipes with our students, and we would distribute the recipe to our school community and everyone who attends the dinner.”
“Most importantly, the meal will be healthy, delicious, and carefully created so that the main course will cost about $3 per person so that everyone can recreate the meal at home — affordably.”
Mala‘ai’s staff met with Laurie Ainslie of Kokua Christian Ministries, which runs one of Waimea’s two food pantries and prepares and serves warm meals each week for families and seniors. With her help, Mala`ai partnered with Mana Christian ‘Ohana to rent Kahilu Town Hall, their amazing new building with a gleaming kitchen that’s located right next to the school garden.
Private Chef and board member Maria Peterson agreed to be the first lead chef and she has come up with a wonderful chili recipe that will be served with rice and a salad. Mala`ai herbal tea will be available as the beverage.
Everyone is invited — there is no charge for the meal, but donations will be welcome if so inspired. WMS summer school students have “taste-tested” the chili and given it a “thumbs up!” Now they will help prepare the dinner and have been invited to help serve it and share recipes with guests.
The evening will be fun, the food healthy and delicious, and most importantly, Waimea Middle School students will have an opportunity to contribute to their community!
Wednesday, June 18 will be a “pilot” night for Super Kitchen and the hope is to continue it monthly. Donations of locally grown produce and other foods are welcome and some of the items served will have been grown in the Mala‘ai school garden by students.
Please call Alethea Lai, 808-989-7861 if you have any questions or food to donate.
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