Fruit trees serve as a stepping-stone toward empowerment by enlivening neighborhoods and motivating people to take control of their own wellbeing. Hawaii is in need of fruit trees and the comprehensive program designed by FTPF to address family nutrition, food justice and community welfare. Trees will be planted at schools and at family homes with a focus on low-income, Native Hawaiian communities. This fundraiser will allow us to build our local nurseries and grow thousands of organic trees!
Hawaii is struggling with poverty, high unemployment, food insecurity, diet-related disease, childhood malnutrition and high crime rates. Additionally, as we face a future of limited energy resources available for the production and shipment of food, many Hawaiian communities are asking how they will meet their food needs. FTPF currently has over a dozen applications for a donation of community fruit trees, including several schools and community groups, who need fresh fruit desperately.
This year FTPF will grow 5,000 organic fruit trees from seed at our Big Island headquarters, a nursery/community center called Na Piko. In order to do this, we need to build the infrastructure and purchase the necessary planting materials including organic soil, high quality seeds, biodegradable containers, amendments, and tools. Currently we are here in Hawaii ready to get started, with staff and volunteers already hard at work clearing the land and preparing the areas for our new nurseries!
Hawaii needs fruit trees to improve the health and welfare of its citizens. Trees educate students on the importance of a nutrient-rich diet, active lifestyle and a healthy planet. Community orchards and horticultural training provide nutrition to the food insecure, beautify neighborhoods, bring people together and empower Hawaiians to be self-reliant. And a local, thriving nursery of organic trees allows FTPF to provide the highest quality trees to the people of Hawaii who are asking for them.