Free Island Nutrition Workshop for Families Offered During Spring Break

Girl Scouts learn where their food comes from by harvesting fruit with Village Harvest. Photo courtesy of Malama Kauai.

Opportunity for keiki to learn about the Hawaiian food system and enjoy healthy snacks

To celebrate National Nutrition Month, Malama Kauai is offering a free food preparation and nutrition class for keiki and their families on Tuesday, March 21 from 9 a.m. to noon, during Spring Break, at Kealia Farms’ Pavilion. Attendees will learn about whole foods, eating close to the earth, health benefits of food, and the Hawaiian diet based on the ahupuaa system – as well as making and tasting delicious snacks!

The first half of the morning will be a guided educational tour of the food system in the Kealia ahupuaa with Kamealoha Hanohano-Smith, a cultural practitioner and Hawaiian immersion teacher, as well as project director for Kaiaulu Anahola. Learn about place based food sources, how they are prepared and why. “It is important for the overall wellbeing of our kamalii to know the genealogy of our traditional foods as it is intimately tied to our cultural and spiritual practices, and celebrated through oli, pule, hula, and moolelo,” says Hanohano-Smith. From Anahola, Kamealoha’s father’s family is the Kahoohanohano Pa family from Kalalau Valley and his mother’s family is the Kekahuna family from Kailua, Oahu.

The second portion of the workshop will be an interactive discussion with Valencia Winn, a Registered Nurse, about the food we eat, where it comes from, and tools we can use that promote a healthier lifestyle. Valencia focused on the nutritional and lifestyle needs in the treatment and prevention of chronic disease and helping others create a healthy lifestyle which includes good nutrition and lifestyle choices.

To get more info or RSVP for this free event, contact Village Harvest Program Manager, Tuula Perry, at villageharvest@malamakauai.org or call 808-828-0685 x 20.