In August of 2019, the very first meeting happened in the halau of Ka Lei Haliʻa O Ka Lokelani. Over 25 Native Hawaiians gathered with an understanding of the possibilities that a Hawaiian Civic Club could bring to Oregon and SW Washington. Pelekikena Hailama Farden of the Association of the Hawaiian Civic Club reached out to kanaka here in Oregon in hopes that it would happened. When we all came together there was a common understanding and goal of creating a community mala. A mala that would serve our Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander community. Relationship to ʻĀina continues to drive our organization as we uplift the final words of our founder, Prince Jonah Kuhio Kalanianaʻole, “After extensive investigation and survey on the part of various organizations organized to rehabilitate the Hawaiian race, it was found that the only method in which to rehabilitate the race was to place them back upon the soil.”

KALOʻs mala serves as a beacon for our Native Hawaiian community who are living in the diaspora that no matter where we are in the world, we exist. Our stories matter. We matter. It is through our mala we are able to connect, build relationships, and most of all, feed our people the very meaʻai that has fueled the Pacific since time immemorial. Our malaʻs mission is to expand and teach our community how to grow culturally specific foods here in the Pacific Northwest. Our mala also provides a space so that we are able to see our selves here in the Pacific Northwest AND create a sense of place. Our mala also creates a space where we can bring our partners to so that they, too, can understand what it means to be a Pacific Islander here in the Pacific Northwest.