Growing Food, Growing Hope
At Catholic Charities Hawaiʻi, we believe that every person deserves access to healthy food, opportunities to thrive, and a community that supports their well-being. That belief is taking root through Healthy Urban Growing & Sharing (HUGS), an innovative initiative that transforms small urban spaces into thriving gardens while cultivating confidence, connection, and hope.
HUGS brings aeroponic tower gardens to five Catholic Charities Hawaiʻi housing and service sites across Oʻahu. These vertical, soil-free gardens make it possible to grow fresh, nutritious vegetables in locations where traditional gardens are not practical, allowing families experiencing homelessness, youth receiving mental health services, and kūpuna to harvest healthy food right where they live and receive support.
More than a gardening program, HUGS combines food production with hands-on education in nutrition, sustainability, life skills, and horticultural therapy. Participants learn the entire growing process—from planting seeds to harvesting vegetables—while building confidence, reducing stress, and strengthening relationships with one another.
Responding to Hawaiʻi's Food Security Challenges
Hawaiʻi imports approximately 85 to 90 percent of its food, making the islands especially vulnerable to supply chain disruptions, rising transportation costs, and increasing food prices. These challenges disproportionately affect low-income households, including many of the individuals and families served by Catholic Charities Hawaiʻi.
Many CCH housing and service locations are also situated in dense urban neighborhoods where traditional gardens are not possible. Limited access to fresh produce, combined with financial barriers and limited nutrition education, can make healthy eating difficult for many families.
HUGS addresses these challenges by bringing food production directly into the communities we serve. Using space-efficient aeroponic tower gardens, participants can grow fresh vegetables year-round while learning practical skills that encourage healthier eating, greater self-sufficiency, and environmental stewardship.
Innovation That Goes Beyond Gardening
While community gardens have long supported neighborhoods, HUGS takes urban agriculture a step further by utilizing innovative aeroponic technology that requires significantly less space and water than traditional gardening methods.
What truly sets HUGS apart, however, is its holistic approach.
The program integrates fresh food production with nutrition education, horticultural therapy, workforce and life skills development, and community engagement. Each participating site develops the knowledge and capacity to sustain its own gardens, creating long-term resilience and ownership.
Participants not only gain access to healthy produce but also experience the therapeutic benefits of gardening. Working together to care for the towers fosters teamwork, confidence, emotional well-being, and a renewed sense of purpose.
Supporting Our Staff, Too
HUGS recognizes that wellness begins within our own organization.
Catholic Charities Hawaiʻi staff are also participating in tower gardening through team-based activities that promote collaboration, reduce stress, and strengthen relationships across programs. Fresh vegetables harvested from staff-managed towers provide an additional source of healthy food for employees, many of whom are part of Hawaiʻi’s ALICE (Asset Limited, Income Constrained, Employed) population and face their own financial challenges.
By investing in both clients and employees, HUGS reflects Catholic Charities Hawaiʻi’s commitment to caring for the whole person while building a healthier organizational culture.
Measuring Impact
With grant funding received in December 2025, installation of the tower gardens began in June 2026 across five Catholic Charities Hawaiʻi sites.
Together, approximately 15 aeroponic towers are expected to produce up to 1,000 pounds of fresh produce annually, with a first-year goal of 500 pounds. The harvest will support meal programs, food distributions, and hands-on learning opportunities for participants, with the first vegetables expected to be harvested in mid-July 2026.
Beyond food production, HUGS is designed to create lasting outcomes through:
- Increased access to fresh, nutritious food.
- Improved nutrition knowledge and healthy cooking skills.
- Greater confidence and self-sufficiency through hands-on learning.
- Enhanced mental health and emotional well-being through horticultural therapy.
- Stronger relationships and community engagement among participants and staff.
- Increased organizational wellness through employee participation and collaboration.
Growing a Model for the Future
One of the greatest lessons from HUGS is that innovation doesn’t always require large-scale solutions—it requires thoughtful, sustainable ones.
By embedding tower gardens directly within housing and service programs, Catholic Charities Hawaiʻi removes barriers to participation while strengthening trust and engagement. Serving both clients and staff has created shared ownership, deeper connections, and a culture of wellness throughout the organization.
As the program continues to grow, HUGS offers a scalable model that can be expanded to additional Catholic Charities locations and shared with agencies across the country seeking creative solutions to food insecurity, community health, and environmental sustainability.
Every seed planted through HUGS represents more than a future harvest. It represents resilience, dignity, self-reliance, and hope. Together, we are growing healthier communities—one tower, one harvest, and one life at a time.
