Fresh food and so much more
Napili Noho Hub continues to assist West Side fire victims
A crew from Hungry Heroes of Hawaii drops produce off to the Napili Noho Emergency Resource Hub on Jan. 6. Hungry Heroes of Hawaii is a grassroots organization focused on fighting hunger problems in Hawaii. It has been donating produce to many hubs around Maui. QUINN K FREIDENBURG photos
A sign posted near the entrance to Napili Park welcomes participants to the Napili Noho Emergency Resource Hub earlier this month. The hub is open every day except Wednesday and Sunday when volunteer staffers restock and reorganize.
Customers check out at the Napili Noho Emergency Resource Hub Store in Lahaina on Jan. 11. While the items a re free for customers, volunteers make sure they are taken with posted limits, ensuring that the hub can support as many people as possible.
A crew from Hungry Heroes of Hawaii drops produce off to the Napili Noho Emergency Resource Hub on Jan. 6. Hungry Heroes of Hawaii is a grassroots organization focused on fighting hunger problems in Hawaii. It has been donating produce to many hubs around Maui. QUINN K FREIDENBURG photos
A sign posted near the entrance to Napili Park welcomes participants to the Napili Noho Emergency Resource Hub earlier this month. The hub is open every day except Wednesday and Sunday when volunteer staffers restock and reorganize.
Customers check out at the Napili Noho Emergency Resource Hub Store in Lahaina on Jan. 11. While the items a re free for customers, volunteers make sure they are taken with posted limits, ensuring that the hub can support as many people as possible.
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It has been more than five months since the devastating wildfire that tore through Lahaina on August 8. Although many families have received support and housing through The American Red Cross and Federal Emergency Management Agency, many people who lost their homes are still unemployed and struggling to get by.
Napili Noho Emergency Resource Hub, located at Napili Park, is trying to ease the burden of those fighting to recover. The hub features a grocery store where affected households can, free of charge, get food, toiletries, and other items daily, all of which are funded and supplied completely by donation. Even five months after the fire, the hub still supplies more than 100 families five days a week.
Farms, individuals, and organizations drop off supplies every day to keep the shelves of the store stocked.
"It's been powerful to see what fresh fruit, vegetables and meat can do for people's physical and mental wellbeing," said Napili Noho volunteer Jessica Webb.
While the hub has a variety of non-perishable items, it has focused on providing high-quality fresh food. To keep produce from going bad, there is a refrigerated shipping container running around the clock. "We take so much pride in what it is that's in that store," said Melonee Lujan, the director of the hub.
One group helping to provide fresh produce is Hungry Heroes Hawaii (HHH). As its truck backed into the hub to drop off produce earlier this month, a Napili Noho volunteer who goes by the name "Savage" said, "The gift that keeps on giving, Triple H."
While HHH donates its food, the hub also uses donation money to buy produce from farmers around the island through the Hawaii Farmers Union United. Napili Noho officials say this steady demand has helped sustain farms that previously sold to Lahaina restaurants.
In addition to giving vital supplies to those in need, Napili Noho has also evolved into a community center as well as a store. The park is often filled with laughter and smiles as volunteers greet people and tell stories. There are free lomilomi massages, a bouncy castle for kids, and live music on Saturdays.
"They are coming here not just for food security, but also to escape their lives for a minute," said Lujan.
Napili Noho Emergency Resource Hub not only stands as an example of how a community can come together to help those in need, but also serves as a reminder that the struggle is not over yet, and Lahaina is a long way from being rebuilt. For more information or to make a donation, visit https://napilinoho.com/.
* Photojournalist Quinn Freidenburg is a senior journalism student at Rochester Institute of Technology. He can be reached at qphoto.media@gmail.com.