oahu, hawaii

The Hawaiian Island chain is the most isolated archipelago in the world but is home to an incredible diversity of plants, animals and humans.

Since the arrival of Polynesians, Native Hawaiians have coevolved with the natural environment and have a deep understanding of and a responsibility to their ancestral lands and seas.

Hawai’i is now home to a wide range of people from diverse cultures and the need for a connection between people and the land is more important than ever.

Almost 90% of food is imported to the island, keeping the islands dependent on Mainland food production. This coupled with the fact that the only landfill on the island is scheduled to close by 2028. We will be faced with an issue that should be resolved with local solutions: supporting local farms, creating less packaging waste and reducing our dependence on imports.

These environmental elements are only part of the equation: we must also address the generations of Hawaiians that have endured traumatic displacement and loss of native lands.

The Giving Gifts heavily relies on our Community Representatives to help us create and facilitate programs that not only honor the culture of the people who were here before us, the land we are occupying while also the deep seeded sense of taking care of the land.