Lowe’s Red Vest Day at Kaluaopalena Garden

On Friday, November 18th, at Mala O Kaluaopalena Community Garden KKV hosted fifteen volunteers from Lowe’s for a community workday preparing soil, constructing garden beds, and weeding the garden. The event was part of the Lowe’s grant support that helped KKV’s Root team construct a new shade structure at the garden. The red vest pays homage to the vests that Lowe’s employees wear to identify themselves to customers. KKV is the first Hawaiʻi recipient to receive a Lowe’s Hometowns grant.

Chace Shigemasa, Assistant Store Manager at Lowe’s Iwilei, says, “We were so excited when we found out that KKV was chosen for this initiative. The relationship between Loweʻs and KKV isn’t just a one and done. We will have a long-lasting partnership and are here to give back to this vibrant population with many stories. The main thing we’re doing is helping the ʻāina.”

KKV’s Roots program cares for the Kaluaopalena garden at KPT and has long held hands-on activities for youth and adults. During the pandemic, Kaluaopalena offered new opportunities for other programs to use the outdoor space for gathering. The Maternal Child Health program now regularly meets in the garden for Family Strengthening sessions and Nutrition is bringing back the popular hula classes for diabetes patients. The new shade structure offers an ideal meeting place and will soon have a restroom to make it more functional for the many new activities there.

KKV is grateful to Lowe’s and their volunteer team for helping to make possible the construction of the shade structure. Other major contributors to the project include the Hawaiʻi Pacific Health Institute, the HEI Charitable Foundation, Hawaiʻi Tourism Authority, and the American Dermatological Society Members. Roots plans to host a blessing of the new structure in early 2023 and will bring all of our supporters back for this event.

Mahalo to the Lowe’s volunteers!