School’s student gardeners decide to share the harvest

It’s always a thrill when the fruits (and veggies) of the ‘Iolani School gardening club’s ardently exercised labors come to harvest.

But last year it occurred to members that their toothsome bounty might serve a purpose beyond simply demonstrating the soundness of their sowing skills.

"The students wanted to be able to give the food they grew to those in need," said club adviser Debbie Millikan. "They thought, ‘Why are we giving canned goods to these various food drives when we could be giving fresh fruits and vegetables?’ It was all their idea."

And so the club — rechristened Grow to Give — began donating its harvests of bok choy, kale, onions, lettuce and other produce to organizations like Club 100 and the Palolo Ohana Learning Center.

For Millikan, who teaches a sustainability class at the high school, there was something sublimely satisfying in seeing in her young charges desire to take the knowledge they had acquired and apply it for the good of the community.

It’s been 16 years since Millikan, Ph.D. from prestigious Scripps College in hand, first came to Hawaii to study the bobtail squid and its curious symbiotic relationship with bioluminescent bacteria. After a stint as a junior faculty member at the University of Hawaii, Millikan turned her attention to public education, working as the sustainability coordinator for Wai­kiki Elementary School and co-director of the Wai­kiki Food Farm.

In her second year at ‘Iolani, Millikan has devoted her efforts to helping students understand the connections between people and their food. To this end she has emphasized the importance of learning from and caring for elders in the community.

"Our students have an awareness of food in general, and they are interested and inspired by what they learn," Millikan said. "They enjoy what they are doing, and they want to share that."

Grow to Give will contribute fruits and vegetables grown in the rooftop garden at the Sullivan Center to ‘Iolani’s Thanksgiving food drive to benefit the Institute for Human Services.

From 6:30 to 7:45 a.m. Nov. 25 and 26, the school’s Team Service and Student Council organizations will collect food donations in front of the school’s gym on Kamoku Street. The school hopes to fill a flatbed truck with food for homeless people served by IHS.

Reach Michael Tsai at mtsai@staradvertiser.com.