2018 CED Grantee Capacity Building SeriesCelebrating Local Culture and Creating Job Opportunities:

Pacific Gateway Center, Honolulu, Hawaii

Division of Community Discretionary andDemonstration ProgramsOffice of Community Services March 22, 2018

Serving the Low-Income and Respecting Local

CultureMarch 22, 2018

Pacific Gateway Center:Founded by 3 Churches

•St. Elizabeth’s Church•Aldersgate Church•Kaumakapili Church

PGC roots: The uprooted -- Refugees

MISSION:Empower Hawaii’s, immigrants, refugees and low-income residents to achieve self-sufficiency through

skill-building and access to opportunities while respecting cultural heritages

VALUES:Aloha

IntegrityMutual Respect

HumorTeamworkCreativityDiversityFood

Exploring the Facts:Hawaii Demographics

• What percentage of HI’s population in 2015 are foreign born?a. 5%b. 10%c. 14%d. 18% (correct answer)

• What percentage of the total US population in 2015 are foreign born?a. 5%b. 10%c. 14% (correct answer)d. 18%

Economic Development

This project that I am presenting is to develop a historic building in the low-income district of Chinatown and turn it

into a food business hub

From providing social services to the low-income population, Pacific Gateway Center started a microloan program, a certified CDFI, started business development

and job creation projects and became a CDC

PGC had focused on the values of the organization particularly Food. PGC built a certified kitchen before the CED project.

Culinary Business Incubator Site

723C Umi Street

A Project Site: First hardware component

certified kitchens

What’s Cooking?

“Where dreams transform into dishes”

- Kitchen space

- Storage

- Culinary training

- Entrepreneurship

training

- Marketing assistance

- Computer applications

- Technical counseling

- Business planning

- Microloans

As mentioned earlier, Food is an important component of the culture in Hawaii and especially so for refugees. They “go home” through food of their native countries as they cannot go home physically.

Paradise Enterprise Center

The CED project:Historic ChinatownBuilding

It’s retail space for immigrant-run businesses

Retail Market

Lemongrass Cafe

Food business hub

Meanwhile at Farmer’s Markets

Farmers Markets were very popular and the Pig and the Lady business were made up of a very hardworking refugee family that was always present at every farmers

market

The Pig and the Lady decided to move into a brick and mortar location and came to Pacific Gateway Center to discuss their ideas. The Pig and the Lady were a refugee family that was on the last plane that left Vietnam with a mother who was pregnant. On their plane ride to

Arizona, the mother went into labor. The plane made an emergency landing in Hawaii where the baby was born. Baby grew up cooking with his mother and chubby baby was/is now

known as the Pig and the mother who taught him how to cook is the Lady.

The Pig & the Lady at Lemongrass Café: Business Incubation (Chef Andrew is the Pig. Customers pack

the restaurant everyday)

Challenges for refugees and immigrants, lack of job skills and ESL

It’s about language proficiency.

JOB TRAINING with US Standards in Food Preparation

• Job has to include food safety • Provide job skills through

training and job shadowing• Bi-lingual case management

has to continue throughout the project

Turning Tragedy to Prosperity:Rebuilding Lives for New Americans

Factors for Success: TWO Major Components

Software: Pig and Lady has built a community following through farm marketsTremendous Community Support for refugeesBilingual Case Management and Social services –wrap around supportImmigration services & ESLLocation: In low income areas

Economic Empowerment Training

• Entrepreneurship Business incubation

• Microloans• Job skills and trainingHardware: Historic Building, Certified Kitchen and later- Farms

Lessons Learned • Bi-lingual Case Management with

bicultural workers is very Important

Addressing their Human basics needs which we call wrap around service: housing, household items, food or food allowance, clothing, application for medical assistance (MEDQUEST), social security card, school enrollment for children, Basic U.S. laws, cultural and community orientations

Community Support and Collaborations are essential

Budget includes unforeseen circumstances. Needs contingency funds

Education of low income includes basics such as: Being on time, Show up at work every work day, ESL .• Listening to the needs of the

people that you are trying to help is critical. We learned in addition to skills in culinary, they had skills in farming, and a large number of the low-income wanted to farm. These led us to the next CED project.

PGC FarmsRebuilding Lives towards Sustainability

• Searched for and secured land (hardware)

• Refugee and Low income families placed on 5 acres each

• Successful small agricultural producers

• Collaboration with the University, Agricultural Department, USDA

Happy “Endings” and Impact

•Family farms, all self-sufficient. 500,000 lbs of fresh produce first year•Developed 11 new family farms; one farmer earning $2,000 - $3,000/wk selling Thai Basil;•More farms are now starting;•All farmers have distribution points for their produce

Makahiki – First Harvest

Food Safety Training

Present situation

The Pig and Lady opened a smaller restaurant called Piggy Smalls meaning the smaller brother of The Pig and the Lady.

The second floor of the Chinatown building is now used for private parties. The third floor is for ESL

• Continued building on the collaborative networks. Continued with marketing the historic building and received grant funding for historic exhibition

• The menu based on Southeast Asian fusion creations, proved very popular and they continued with additional menu items.

• Cultural menu based on Southeast Asian cuisine.

The Pig and the Lady at Outstanding In The Field event with over 200 guest. The menu used food produce from the farmers. The chicken was from PGC farmer who ran a free range chicken farm, the veggies from the farmers growing southeast Asian produce.

The Farm Project is equally successful as the Chinatown project because we used: Software and Hardware combination. Wrap around Bilingual Support Services for technical assistance, massive community support, collaboration with key agencies such as the University, State Departments and ethnic communities as well as being located in the low-income areas.

MAHALO!

www.pacificgatewaycenter.org

http://www.pacificgatewaycenter.org/

Questions?

Submit a written question viaWebEx Q&A

Contact OCSRegistrar@icf.comwith additional questions

mailto:OCSRegistrar@icf.com

Upcoming Webinars

Enlivening the Main Street: AvenidaGuadalupe Association (San Antonio, TX) Thursday, March 29, 2018; 2-3pm eastern

Update on the Revised Performance Progress Report and Overview of ResourcesThursday, April 5, 2018; 2-3pm eastern

2018 CED Grantee Capacity Building SeriesCelebrating Local Culture and Creating Job Opportunities: Pacific Gateway Center, Honolulu, HawaiiServing the Low-Income and Respecting Local CulturePacific Gateway Center:Founded by 3 ChurchesPGC roots: The uprooted --Refugees Pacific Gateway CenterPacific Gateway CenterExploring the Facts: Hawaii DemographicsEconomic DevelopmentCulinary Business Incubator Site“Where dreams transform into dishes”The CED project:Historic ChinatownBuildingLemongrass CafeMeanwhile at Farmer’s MarketsThe Pig & the LadyChallenges for refugees and immigrants, lack of job skills and ESLJOB TRAINING with US Standards in Food PreparationTurning Tragedy to Prosperity:Rebuilding Lives for New AmericansLessons Learned PGC Farms Rebuilding Lives towards SustainabilityHappy “Endings” and ImpactFood Safety TrainingPresent situation The Pig and the Lady at Outstanding In The Field event with over 200 guest. The menu used food produce from the farmers. Questions?Upcoming WebinarsEnlivening the Main Street: AvenidaGuadalupe Association (San Antonio, TX) Update on the Revised Performance Progress Report and Overview of Resources