Donoho helped organize a critical food distribution program to support an estimated 20,000 Hawaii Island residents.
How have you delivered an authentic Hawaiian experience in the last year?
When the visitor industry shut down due to the Covid-19 pandemic, unemployment reached nearly 25% on Hawaii Island, affecting 5,000 employees along the Kohala Coast. Food insecurity was a huge concern for our families, and we worked tirelessly to support their needs.
Our “Kokua for our Ohana” program built on efforts undertaken by our individual members, and through a $900,000 CARES Act grant secured from the County of Hawaii, we expanded to reach all tourism businesses along the Kohala Coast.
Through six food distributions, we supported 78,912 residents and bought 414,958 pounds of food from local agricultural providers and distributors, keeping those dollars circulating on island. The total cash and in-kind value of our program was more than $2.25 million, but the ability to share our aloha with our families during a time of great turmoil is beyond measure.
How do you think the Covid-19 pandemic will shape Hawaii tourism moving forward?
The pandemic has crystallized the importance of working together; the Kokua for our Ohana program illustrated the important ties between the tourism industry, ag providers and other island businesses.
We believe that together we can build demand for products we grow locally, so we’re less reliant on imports. We also believe that instead of discussions that pit residents vs. visitors, attempts to dismantle or legislate tourism out of existence, we collectively need to demonstrate the myriad ways that tourism can lead Hawaii to achieve its diversification goals, while simultaneously addressing our communities’ greatest needs.
Through thoughtful engagement with businesses, nonprofits, and government partners, we can collectively focus on goals that benefit our community: from developing early childhood learning centers in the workplace, to affordable housing developments and transit centers located closer to work, to investing in natural resources protection, and cultural preservation.