Happy Aloha Friday. The end of this work week brings a new beginning. The first of 12 Aloha Victory Gardens will be planted today. It’s a community service project that’s close to my heart.
What’s my connection? My husband and I are sponsoring the 12 garden donations statewide. The inaugural Aloha Victory Garden will go in this morning at 10:30AM at the Institute for Human Services or IHS Women & Children’s Shelter. We got to talking with some of the dedicated workers at IHS at a Green Market a little while ago. They gave us some herbs they had grown at the shelter to teach families to become self sufficient, but they can only do so much with the Vertical Garden they have. That got us thinking about what we could do to help with their mission.
A little background here. Some of you might know my husband was an Aloha Airlines pilot. But, even while he was flying, he stayed active in erosion control and government contracting. After he was laid off, he focused all of his energy on creating better ways of keeping pollutants from washing into our storm drains and oceans. The result was a new line of compost filter socks, which brings me back to the gardens.
Turns out those socks have another use. Instant organic gardens or a “Wiki Garden.” We became interested in growing our own organic produce after our son Kai was born. We wanted him to get healthy vegetables pesticide free but didn’t have time to slave over a garden. And frankly, I am the anti-green thumb. I’ve managed to kill cactus. Alan experimented, and came up with the Wiki Garden. He had a table set up at the Green Market and after talking with the IHS employees, decided it was a no-brainer to donate a garden to the shelter.
IHS told us about using their garden to teach kids. That resonated with us as new parents, especially seeing so many cuts to school budgets and teaching time. A simple thing such as growing their own food can provide valuable lessons for life not taught in our fast food culture.
Children will be on hand to help plant the garden. It’s happening on Furlough Friday. The idea is to use this time to teach them about growing their own garden. They’ll feel connected, take ownership, and feel proud as they see the fruits of their labor.
Right after that, we’re flying to Maui to put in the 2nd Aloha Victory Garden at Kihei Elementary School on Saturday morning. I’m eager to see how all of the students react. A Maui TV crew plans to document the planting and follow progress for an entire year to track the impact on students and the school. Coincidentally, we’ve also set up a Keiki Learning Gardens program to help other schools get a garden.
For more information on the Aloha Victory Gardens project and how you can apply for your own free Aloha Victory Garden , go to www.alohavictorygardens.org. If you are interested in purchasing a Wiki Garden, visit www.thewikigarden.com.
***The inaugural garden launch was a success. Will keep you posted with pictures to see how their garden grows. 
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