The Roots Food Hub was started more than a decade ago as part of an effort to rebuild Kalihi’s food system. One of the most food insecure neighborhoods in Hawaii, Kalihi was historically an ahupua’a that met the community’s food needs through farming, agroforestry, and fishing. Today Kalihi has just one supermarket for 53,000 residents. Nearly all of Hawaii’s food supplies are imported from the mainland. Roots is working to change this by partnering with local farms throughout O’ahu, focusing on those who practice traditional, organic, and sustainable agriculture. The Food Hub is SNAP certified to accept EBT cards and often offers “double bucks” incentives to make products more accessible for our community. “Roots works hard to keep our margins low so prices are affordable. Many of the items we sell - ulu for example - are not readily available in our local markets. So, it’s important that we can sell this cultural food that is a staple for many Pacific Islander families.”

Dreams for the Food Hub are big. Kaui would love to see the Food Hub have its own store front that can be open every day. Roots is working hard to support more than fifteen local farm partners by making orders, providing education, and reintroducing nutritious locally-grown foods into our community. “It’s a joy to teach kids how to cook,” Kaui says, “these are the foods that will keep us healthy and connected to the land.”

KKV’s Food Hub Warrior

Twice weekly, Kaui Onekea rolls up the loading dock door of the Wellness Center and opens the Roots Food Hub for business. Here, customers can order lunch from the Roots Café menu and pick up locally grown greens, vegetables, and cultural foods. The ulu is especially popular, as is the poi. The options change weekly depending on what is available from KKV’s local farm partners. Kaui puts it all together. She negotiates the farm orders, picks up the produce and other items from around the island, and sets up shop. Today, she’s the driving force and KKV’s strong female warrior behind the Hub’s mission and success.

 Kaui began managing the Food Hub a year and a half ago but has been with Roots for five years, working with the Ehuola family program and with the Birthing a Nation Hawaiian pregnancy program.

Farming is in her blood. Born and raised in the Maunalaha area on O’ahu, she grew up picking fruit off the trees and selling these down the road at a fruit stand. A part of a large family, Kaui was raised by her grandmother who instilled in her an appreciation for the land.  “When you are raised cooking from the garden, it gives you perspective on how the land nourishes you,” she says, “Until I started working at Roots, I never fully appreciated how lucky I was to grow up this way.”