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Giving thanks with aloha

LahainaTown Action Committee, residents, visitors, students and businesses celebrate with those in need

By Colleen Uechi 5 min read

LAHAINA -- King Kamehameha III Elementary School smelled almost exactly how Sissa Ko remembered it -- like "diesel from the harbor and the cookies Mrs. Kukahiko used to make."

But on Thursday there was another aroma in the air -- turkey, gravy, green beans and all the other Thanksgiving fixings that turned the school cafeteria into a cheery gathering place for people from all walks of life.

"That's one thing I do not like to see -- anyone, especially during the holiday season, to be by themselves or lonely," Ko said as she dug into a plate of turkey alongside an elementary school friend. "And for our community to come together, if somebody was to ask me what does aloha mean, right here. This is aloha."

The LahainaTown Action Committee joined forces with local businesses, nonprofits and volunteers to provide a hearty Thanksgiving meal for those in need -- although it was open to anyone in the community.

Committee treasurer Tambara Garrick said more than 150 volunteers showed up. By 12:30 p.m., they had fed 300 people. By 2 p.m., they were out of food. Garrick said they had planned for 400.

"The best thing about this is seeing the number of people that want to come out on their Thanksgiving morning and be together and give back to the community," Garrick said.

The annual event had taken place at Hard Rock Cafe until the restaurant shut down. Last year was the first time it was held at the school.

Joanna Stockham, development director for the committee, said that the meal was a team effort -- turkey cooked by Captain Jack's and paid for by Pastor Jay Wright of Lahaina Baptist, stuffing prepared by the Old Lahaina Luau, mashed potatoes and gravy from Fleetwood's, yams from Pioneer Inn, green beans from Paia Fish Market and a committee board member, and pumpkin pies from the Lahaina Sunset Rotary Club.

Penne Pasta Cafe owner Juan Gomez ran the kitchen Thursday, while Demming's Delivery ferried meals to homebound residents.

As guests arrived, volunteers ushered them into the cafeteria and sat down with them as they ate.

"It's really just making them human, not just these people we keep driving past and do our thing," Stockham said. "So it's fun to see people connect with their guests. . . . I think there's equal joy on both sides of the table."

Ko, who grew up in Lahaina and attended the elementary school in the early 1970s, said that "in my days, never had things like this because never need them."

Now, "we have so much homeless here, it's unbelievable," said Ko, a cook at the Dirty Monkey.

For people who had nowhere else to go, the meal was a welcome escape on the holiday. At one of the tables, Marianne Jones sat with a plate full of turkey and tears in her eyes.

"It's my first holiday without my children," she said.

Jones said she lived on Hawaii island but came to Maui to escape the vog. She lived in Napili until her lease ran out and then ended up homeless for about a month. She said she planned to move in with a friend until she could figure out what to do next.

Jones said she's been a licensed clinical therapist for 30 years.

"For the first time ever I'm on the receiving end of these services," Jones said. "So I'm deeply grateful because I go hungry and I get beaten and robbed on the streets."

Torin Plum, a 59-year-old Army veteran who's bounced around the island, also swung by for a meal.

"It gets a little bit rough out on the streets," Plum said. "Today's Thanksgiving, so for a veteran, a chief warrant officer, (this is) the best it's going to get, I guess."

Plum was born in Salt Lake City, raised in Los Angeles and served in the Army from 1978 to 1986. He had a trucking business for 10 years and a tile business for 20 years before retiring. Plum said he hasn't been able to find a place to live and hopes to go back to Oahu, where at least he had an apartment.

Plum said he'd eaten his fill on Thursday and that "I couldn't eat another thing if I wanted to."

"Some of the nicest people I've met right here today at this school," Plum said.

Volunteers on Thursday included students, tourists and representatives from Ka Hale A Ke Ola, the Salvation Army, A Cup of Cold Water, Feed My Sheep and Waiola Church. They set up tables with resources, clothing and backpacks of toiletries, food and gifts for kids.

"I like helping the community in general because, especially, we've had a lot going on throughout the past couple of months with the fire and the hurricane," said Isabella Omura, a senior at Lahainaluna High School and one of the National Honor Society members who helped out Thursday. "I think it's nice, just like a couple times out of the year, to come out as a community and help those in need."

Volunteer Lindsay Hill and her family were visiting from Seattle and were recognizing "Decolonization Day" instead of Thanksgiving. Hill said they wanted to "participate in whatever forms of activism or service that we can."

"We had a long conversation last night because our son was saying, 'Should we still eat turkey?' " Hill said. "And we said it's the spirit behind it. It's not buying into the lie of Thanksgiving and acknowledging what happened to the indigenous population in our country. The spirit of getting together with family and loved ones over a meal, we love. We want to keep that aspect of it."

* Colleen Uechi can be reached at cuechi@mauinews.com.

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