COVID ISSUES COMMAND CENTER STAGE FOR VIRTUAL WAIMEA TOWN MEETING THURS., AUG. 6 – STEAMED LIVE ON FACEBOOK

Covid-19 will command most of the time and attention during the Thursday, Aug. 6, 2020 Waimea Community Association Virtual Town Meeting – live at 5:30 p.m. on Facebook. 

With Covid-19 forcing temporary closure thru this Friday of the South Kohala District Courthouse for deep cleaning-disinfection after a court employee tested positive for the virus, and the number of new cases reported daily causing alarm statewide, WCA will welcome back Lt. Gov. Josh Green for an update and to answer community questions. 

The focus will shift to the severe impact Covid-related resort and business closures have had on local employment as well as Hawai’i Island farms and ranches by hearing from about six community-led and funded food giveaway programs. Volunteer “heroes” and risk takers, too, these feeding program leaders will share what they have experienced over the past four-plus months and anticipate in the weeks and months ahead. 

Presenters will include Laurie Ainslie with Kokua Christian Ministries, Ann Lum with the Annunciation Catholic Church food pantry, Elly Mercer with Waimea Preservation Association’s Grab ‘N Go Meals, and Tim Bostock with the Thursday Community Meal @ St. James and also the relatively new Tuesday Community Meal @ St. Columba in Pa’auilo. 

Also reporting in will be a representative of Hawai’i Island’s Food Basket and Leslie Kissner with the Farms2Families food support program organized by W.M. Keck Observatory, Canada France Hawai’i Telescope and others in the astronomy community in partnership with Waimea farms and ranches. 

Also on the agenda will be a public safety update by Waimea Police Captain Sherry Bird. 

To log into the meeting, go to www.Facebook.com/WaimeaCommunityAssociation about 5:25 p.m. and hover until the link pops up. The meeting will be recorded and saved to the Facebook page for later viewing. 

All WCA meetings are open to all and there is of course no charge to participate, but membership is welcome to support the all volunteer organization’s modest operating expenses.