Donate to Schools via Ho‘opili ‘Ai

Make a donation to Ho‘opili ‘Ai — Uniting Keiki & Hawaiʻi Food Crops, Hawai’i’s Harvest of the Month farm-to-school initiative that brings recipe-ready tasting boxes to the educational community across Hawai‘i! Your donation makes this program possible, ensuring that Hawai‘i’s next generation learns about our islands’ indigenous staple food crops, nutrition, and the critical link between local agriculture and resilient communities.

Over the past two school years, the Hawaiʻi ʻUlu Cooperative and partners have distributed 350 classroom and cafeteria boxes, totaling over 10,000 pounds of local staple food crops and feeding 27,450 students, teachers, parents, and school staff. The funds raised are used to pay local farmers for their crops and deliver boxes to schools: in the 2023-2024 school year, we raised $50,000! 

Ho‘opili ‘Ai currently offers schools their choice of four Hawaiʻi-grown staple crops: 'Ulu (breadfruit), Kalo (taro), 'Uala (sweet potato), and Pala‘ai (pumpkin) – each available for classroom and cafeteria use. By helping students connect with Hawaiian heritage through culinary experiences, teachers and staff can educate students about nutrition, environment, and culture in one sitting. 

Hoʻopili ʻAi is a partnership with the Hawaiʻi Farm to School Hui, Chef Hui, University of Hawaiʻi College of Tropical Agriculture and Human Resources, and Kōkua Hawaiʻi Foundation. It provides students, teachers, school staff, and parents with standards-aligned curricula and other resources needed to build lifelong relationships between youth and Hawaiʻi-grown staple foods, guided by the belief that dietary education is key to improving student health through increased fruit and vegetable consumption. For more information about this program, please see the links below. Thank you for your interest in and support of this vital community initiative!

Learn more about the initiative or access additional resources.

Teacher and Cafeteria Staff Testimonials

“Every single student tried the 'uala, even ones who are especially picky/have food aversions! Everything went well and the parents were very happy with the program!” — Public elementary school on O‘ahu

“It was awesome to have something so healthy to offer students.” — Public elementary school on Hawai‘i Island

“The program helped me to introduce the Hawaiian food staple to my class and provided a foundation to incorporate an outdoor classroom, journaling, hands on gardening experience, cultivating a sense of belonging, and helping with absenteeism.” — Public elementary school on O‘ahu

“At lunch time we made an area where we could serve 'uala to students. We were able to feed over 1000 students in a matter of two days. Many students came back for more and were surprised how much they liked the 'uala.” — Public intermediate school on Maui

“Students were enthusiastic and engaged. There were more than enough samples to send home with extras to prepare a tasting in class. Plenty of resources that can be modified for different grade levels. I built positive relationships with the kitchen staff through this experience, which was an unexpected positive.” — Public charter elementary school on O‘ahu

“This has given our students and their 'Ohana a tangible way to try Kalo and a Gift to feed their 'ohana with nourishing mea 'ai during times of tragedy on our Island. It has given families a glimpse of hope into the future of growing kalo and being able to malama the aina and live off the land. Mahalo nui.” — Homeschool group on Maui

“Mahalo for putting on such a great program. Its hard to make food purchases with DOE money and other grants so its nice to have this available to kumu, especially when we are trying to teach keiki about nutrition.” — Public elementary school on O‘ahu