(WS-2) Correspondence to Water Supply 04-19-2021

Why has this item been removed?

Testimony received from BFED Committee.

Testimony on behalf of Common Ground Collective

BFED Committee Chair Keani Rawlins-Fernandez Vice Chair Tamara Paltin Councilmember Gabe Johnson Councilmember Tasha Kama Councilmember Kelly King Councilmember Alice Lee Councilmember Mike Molina Councilmember Shane Sinenci Councilmember Yuki Lei Sugimura

Aloha Mai Kākou!

I am a current board member for Common Ground Collective and am writing to ask for your continued support of our organization in this yearʻs 2021-2022 Proposed Mayorʻs Budget - Office of Economic Development - Agricultural Program Grants for $30,000.

In the short amount of time Common Ground Collective (hereto referred as CGC) has been in operation, we have grown and branched out beyond our meager means (and location!) to share the bounty of the beautiful backyards in our neighborhoods with our community across Maui.

Some of our exciting highlights from 2020 include:
* In partnership with local community organizations servicing the County of Maui like Maui Food Bank, Feed My Sheep and others, we have been able to supply over 10,778lbs of donated backyard produce for food drives and food bag giveaways and deliveries.
* A staggering 18,500+ lbs of backyard produce was harvested and donated or sold to local markets and restaurants, working towards the goal of more local produce feeding ourselves, rather than being shipped off-island or wasting/rotting away in backyards.
* To encourage and help residents achieve food security, we supplied participating residents of the Kēōkea Homestead Farm Lots with one native tree, one citrus tree, mulch and amendments, to ensure these trees thrive and provide needed and welcomed nourishment.
* Of the produce that was sold (only 7,788 lbs), we were able to generate over $10,000 income to help with operating, administration and maintenance costs.

As we move swiftly through 2021 and set goals and benchmarks for 2022, CGC aims to create and sustain more collaborations with local businesses for community food bag giveaways, move operations into our new space in the Aloha `Āina Center in Haʻiku, hire an assistant to help with harvesting and processing and begin the farm and orchard installation portion of our Foster Farm program. With your support, we will make real, concrete steps towards these goals and expand our capacity to offer our services and establish partnerships across Maui County.

Weʻve only just begun!

Please vote “AE/YES” on the proposed budget line item amount of $30,000 for this upcoming fiscal year and help us put more backyard produce into bellies.

Mahalo nui,
Trinette Furtado
Common Ground Collective
Common Ground Collective Board 2020-2022, Treasurer