HONOLULU (KHON2) — Students at over 30 Hawaii public schools on the Big Island, Maui, Kauai, and Molokai can now add fresh local poi to their school lunches.
The Hawaii Department of Education announced that poi will be available to students and staff for the remainder of the month to honor May Day.
Reports said over 11 thousand 4-ounce cups of Hanalei Poi Company poi will be served. That’s almost three thousand pounds of poi!
On Friday, Kauai’s Chiefess Kamakahelei Middle School served the poi with kalua pork with cabbage, lomi tomato, brown rice, edamame and pineapple chunks.
“They want it every day! We have a lot of different nationalities here, some that never did try poi,” said the school’s Food Services Manager, Anthony Cruz. “The other kids who knew what it was, they wanted seconds, of course.”
Students were excited to see poi on the menu and enjoyed the idea of fresh ingredients in their school lunches and supporting local businesses.
“Hanalei Poi and poi in general is like one of my favorite foods so when I saw it on the menu, I was really excited. I like local ingredients because you know where it’s from, and you know it’s fresh and good,” 7th grader Kelston Apilado said.
The department hopes that increasing local menu offerings will “enhance food sustainability in Hawaii” and improve ” students’ health while supporting local farmers.”