West side Rotary Clubs combined efforts to provide a Thanksgiving Feast to the farmers at the Pacific Gateway Center (PGC) farms in Kunia. PGC empowers Hawaii's low-income residents, immigrants, refugees, and other vulnerable populations in rebuilding their lives with hope, respect, and dignity.
As the majority of PGC immigrant clients are farmers from their respective home countries, leading self-sufficient lives means returning to the farm. PGC leases 206 acres of farmland to refugee and immigrant families in Kunia. Trafficked refugee farmers started their family farms on O'ahu in early 2012 and are now producing fresh produce - cucumbers, varieties of tomatoes, squash, beans, eggplant, okra, Thai chili peppers, avocado, and bananas. They have successfully established outlets to sell produce to both large food distributors, restaurant, and farmer' markets. Their farm program contributes to our state's food security and provides fresh, healthy produce to our community.