Kaiser Permanente Volunteers Restore Waipā Taro Lo‘i on MLK Day

Volunteers from Kaiser Permanente’s Līhu‘e Clinic spent Martin Luther King Jr. Day restoring the Waipā taro lo‘i, clearing invasive plants and roots and removing weeds along the banks of Waipā Stream to support both environmental stewardship and traditional ahupua‘a practices. The work took place January 19, 2026, as part of the Hawai‘i Permanente Medical Group Annual Day of Service.

For the ninth consecutive year, physicians, providers, nurses, clinical and administrative staff, and family members partnered with Waipā Foundation on hands-on mālama ʻāina projects at the Waipā living learning center. The Kaua‘i effort was one node in a coordinated statewide mobilization that involved more than 1,000 Kaiser Permanente Hawai‘i volunteers working simultaneously on O‘ahu, Maui and Hawai‘i Island. Hawai‘i Permanente Medical Group has hosted a Day of Service each year since 2010.

Clearing invasive species from lo‘i kalo and stabilizing stream banks directly benefits taro cultivation, cultural education, and watershed resilience. Waipā Foundation has operated on Kaua‘i for more than 30 years, teaching Hawaiian values through education, cultural practice, and land restoration. Those long-term activities help maintain soil and water quality that sustain local food systems and reduce the need for costly downstream erosion control.

Todd Kuwaye, assistant area medical director of primary care and virtual care for Kaiser Permanente Hawai‘i and a board member of Waipā Foundation, framed the work as part of health care’s broader role in community well-being. “As health care providers, we see every day how deeply health is connected to the places people live and the resources they depend on,” Kuwaye said. “Showing up consistently, outside of clinical settings, strengthens our connections and reinforces our responsibility to care for the whole community, not just individual patients.”

Jessica Anne Kauionalani “Kauʻi” Fu, Waipā Foundation’s Director of Operations, Communications, and Community Programs, emphasized the cross-generational value of recurring volunteer involvement. “At Waipā, our work is really about creating opportunities for people to build a meaningful relationship with the ʻāina - caring for it together and understanding how it, in turn, feeds and sustains us,” Fu said. “When volunteers and partners return year after year, often bringing their families along, it becomes more than a workday - it’s a shared experience that connects keiki to kūpuna, strengthens community, and deepens our collective relationship with this place.”

Beyond the immediate environmental gains, the partnership illustrates how corporate social responsibility and nonprofit stewardship can supplement public efforts to preserve cultural landscapes. Mobilizing skilled volunteers from the health sector provides in-kind labor and sustained engagement that bolster Waipā’s capacity without requiring additional municipal funding. For Kaua‘i residents, that translates into continued protection of a cultural food source, stronger community ties, and incremental improvements in watershed health that support both ecosystem services and local quality of life. The ninth-year partnership signals ongoing collaboration between health providers and community stewards, with similar volunteer efforts likely to recur on future MLK Days.