Aloha Harvest Food Hub Study
2020 was an unprecedented year in which pandemic conditions exacerbated existing food insecurity for Hawaiʻi families. HACBED was contracted by Aloha Harvest, an Oʻahu-based food rescue organization, to perform a study on the potential development of a Food Hub. Aloha Harvest is committed to feeding hungry people by rescuing quality, edible food, thus diverting environmentally-damaging organic waste from Oʻahu’s limited landfills. Their services empower communities across the island by delivering food, free of charge, to their partner organizations to reach those most in need. As part of the Food Hub study, HACBED supported Aloha Harvest through evaluations of the current market for food rescue, identifying potential facilities for acquisition and performing financial projections, assisting with facilitation and documentation of feedback from focus groups, and engaging relevant stakeholders and partners to conceptualize synergistic and cross-sectoral pathways for expansion.