Gabe Amey, founder and director of Our Kūpuna, is concerned about Hawaii’s elderly. “During the deadliest global pandemic our generation has ever seen, I asked myself, how can I help?” said Amey. “This service is that answer. Our Kūpuna was developed to serve a need in the community during a very uncertain time we know as Covid-19. It was launched statewide on March 23, 2020 as a community project started by the team behind Hawaii VA Loans and RISEHI Collective. As an official 501(c)3 nonprofit organization under Hawaii VA Foundation, The mission of Our Kūpuna is to connect Hawaii’s elderly with volunteer sponsors to help them with their daily needs during the pandemic.

Unfortunately, not all seniors in Hawaii have ‘ohana on-island to look out for them during these exceedingly difficult times. After orders for residents in the state to stay at home, many kūpuna were isolated, and everyday tasks, such as getting groceries, prescriptions, and other chores have become impossible for them to do alone.

“We are currently serving over 300 kūpuna, 65 years and older, on five islands and we want to get the word out more about Our Kūpuna,” Amey stated. “We need more volunteers. Our staff members do the screening and manage the volunteers. If everything works out, we connect them to kupuna in the area. Our motto, ‘one-to-one’, creates a special relationship with our network of volunteers in the field and the kūpuna they are helping.”

Amey emphasized, “We cannot help everyone, but everyone can help. Kūpuna do not have to pay for this service. It is free. All volunteers and sponsors are doing this to help in the community because so many seniors do not have family on island. The sponsor calls their kūpuna weekly to see if they need any necessary supplies so seniors can stay home. The main purpose of the volunteer service is to ensure kūpuna do not have to battle crowds at the grocery stores or struggle to get to other public places. It is about making sure the elderly have what they need without putting themselves at risk.”