ʻĀina Warrior: Dilyuns “Dil” Michael

Ever since she could remember, Dilyuns “Dil” Michael dreamed about working with food. But she also felt a calling to serve her community. She never thought she would be able to marry the two and call it “work” until she became a Roots Mahiʻāina and the Kaluaopalena Garden Coordinator at KKV. We are proud to feature Dil as this month’s ʻĀina Warrior.  

Dil grew up in the Kapālama area of Oʻahu. Being so close to Kalihi, she always felt a connection to that community. But she also always felt a connection to food – where it comes from and how it can nourish people. “Growing up, my favorite channel was actually the Food Network,” explained Dil. “I always thought cooking was really cool and could be a cool job. I didn’t know my dream would transform into what it is now.” Dil’s dream of working with food led her to the restaurant industry. She says she was lucky enough to work with a chef who really valued the farm-to-table mindset and opened her eyes to the world of farming. “I got to grow a relationship with farmers and that made me want to bridge the gap between me and food,” she said. “I wanted to know food more intimately and be involved in the growing process.” This led her to pursue her dream of working with food in new and innovative ways.  

Like many, Dil found KKV through a friend. She had never heard of KKV or Roots before but started following us on social media during the pandemic. “I realized my values really aligned with Roots’.” Dil remembers how hard it was for her family and many others to get food during the pandemic, but KKV and Roots were always a beacon of light in those trying times. “They were a resource for not just me but the whole community,” she said. So, when Roots had posted that they were hiring, Dil jumped at the opportunity to join their team. She got hired in the summer of 2021, originally brought on as a kakoʻo or support person. 

Most of her responsibilities were in the food hub, assisting with the Food Rx boxes. The boxes were full of fresh produce and given to some of our most vulnerable community members during the pandemic. “I really enjoyed being a part of that process from beginning to end,” said Dil. She recalls how tedious putting the boxes together was, weighing every single fruit and vegetable that went into them. “But seeing people receive them got me really emotional. I was able to help others and improve their wellness,” said Dil. She says her experience with the Food Rx boxes felt so full circle to her. She was living out her dream of adding value to someone else's food and making a difference.  

More than three years later, Dil is still passionate and driven to feed and serve her community. As a Mahiʻāina, she spends a lot of her time outdoors, either at Hoʻoulu ʻĀina or the Kaluaopalena Garden at KPT. She says she is so lucky to be living out her dream of growing healthy food for her community. Another project that Dil has recently taken on is leading the Manamana Program. This KKV youth program, which Dil likes to call “life-readiness class”, helps teens and young adults in our community prepare to enter the workforce or the next level of education. As a teenager and young adult herself, Dil worked with elementary-aged kids at the YMCA, which she says was always something she enjoyed. “But I took on Manamana because I thought it would be a good challenge to work with older kids. And it's been a great opportunity for me to grow.”  

Part of the reason why Dil left the restaurant industry was because of her longing to grow closer to food and get her hands dirty. “I wanted to be feeding my Hawaiʻi community. Now I actually get to see people who look like me enjoying healthy food and having access to it.” Serving Kalihi has been so special to her. She says it helped to connect her back to her Palauan roots, and brought value to a community that can often get overlooked. Dil emphasizes that “farm-to-table" isn't just a trend but a way to connect health to our community.