Building More Than a Gathering Place

How does a shared meal strengthen a community? Waimea residents know the secret ingredient.

Every Thursday, hundreds of people gather at St. James’ Episcopal Church in Waimea for a free meal. Some come for nourishment, others for companionship. A jam band plays live music. Neighbors can meet, talk story, and become friends. Nearly 10 years after it began, this weekly gathering has taken on the feel of a family cookout, where everyone is welcome and few leave as strangers.

“The community meal doesn’t only feed hunger; it also feeds loneliness,” says Tim Bostock, chair of The Gathering Place Committee.

Trusting Communities to Lead

This spirit is at the heart of The Gathering Place, a new facility now under construction at St. James’ Episcopal Church. Designed to expand food programs, host neighborhood groups, provide space for learning and connection, and serve as a resource during emergencies, the project reflects years of volunteer leadership and grassroots support.

More than 450 individual donors contributed to the effort, reflecting a shared commitment to Waimea’s future. The idea is simple: Lasting solutions are strongest when they are shaped by the people who will use them.

“At its core, this is about trusting communities to identify what matters most to them,” says HCF Governance Program Director Robbie Kane. “We’re not on O‘ahu telling the people of Waimea what they should do for their community. They’re telling us what they think is important.”

Meaningful Conversations for Waimea

Through the Richard Smart Fund, a place-based fund established to benefit residents of Waimea, HCF supports initiatives that reflect emerging priorities and strengthen civic participation. In recent years, HCF created the Waimea Community Weaving Hui, an advisory group made up of local stakeholders who provide guidance on grantmaking priorities, to place community voices at the center of decision-making.

“As a kupa ʻāina of Waimea [native born person of this land], I am grateful for the opportunity to serve on the Waimea Community Weaving Hui,” says group member Pomai Bertelmann. “The poʻe [people] of this Hui are committed to engaging in thoughtful and meaningful conversations that help guide support for projects that strengthen relationships, bring together diverse voices, and mālama [take care of] our connection to ʻāina [land] and place.”

When leaders from St. James’ approached HCF about The Gathering Place, Hui members recognized a project that reflected many values already identified through earlier conversations, such as the importance of welcoming gathering spaces, supporting food security, and building relationships and resilience. Support was unanimous.

Cultivating a Shared Kuleana

When it opens next summer, The Gathering Place is poised to serve many purposes. Beyond supporting the weekly meal, Bostock hopes the facility’s certified commercial kitchen will become a resource for Hawaiʻi nonprofits, farmers, and entrepreneurs alike. Local groups will be able to use the space to prepare and distribute food. Meanwhile aspiring food growers may gain access to a certified kitchen where they can transform fresh ingredients into products for farmers’ markets and other retail outlets.

“I hope that people can create small agricultural businesses and value-added products that are grown in Waimea,” Bostock says. “The goal is to provide much more than one meal a week out of that space.”

Many hands have contributed to bringing the vision to life – from the volunteers and donors who supported the project to the Waimea Community Weaving Hui members who helped guide funding decisions. As construction continues, The Gathering Place stands as an example of how local leadership, community relationships, and a shared sense of kuleana (responsibility) can create lasting benefits for generations to come.