By the Inside Outreach team · January 30, 2023The first time we pulled up to Paula’s house, her smile got bigger with every one of the seven Molina kids who climbed out of the car, gave her a hug and said “Aloha, Aunty.”
Then we sat on the porch and listened.
Two women, one person
The more Paula shared, the wider our eyes got. She has survived things most of us can’t imagine, including 13 years of homelessness.
And somehow the woman in that story and the woman sitting in front of us were the same person. The loving smile. The thriving plant business she built from nothing. The way she talks about her plants like they’re keiki.
Then a string of setbacks came along, one after another, and threatened to take it all. That’s how it goes for a lot of hardworking people in Hawaiʻi. You do everything right, and one bad month can undo years.
Sitting on that porch, it was obvious. She deserved to have a community wrap its arms around her. So we made a commitment to keep showing up for her.
A Plant Jam
With only a few days notice we pulled together an evening of plant sales and live Hawaiian music at Morning Brew in Kailua. Courtney hosted. Uncle Doug Tolentino sang.
Friends and family came from all over. People talked story. People bought plants. By the end of the night Aunty’s table was nearly empty.
Taking things off her list
When Paula had to take down her home garden business, Matt and Nathaniel from Aloha Junk Man came out to Kāneʻohe. They worked through the rain and hauled away nearly the whole pile in one truckload.
“We managed to get almost everything in one truckload, so we’re happy to help beautify this island and help her on her next journey.”
Matt, Aloha Junk Man
And then she gave back
This is the part we love. Aunty had a pile of leftover art supplies. Instead of tossing them, she gave them to the residents at Hui Mahiʻai ʻĀina in Waimānalo, who used them to make signs for their market stalls.
That’s the ripple. Somebody shows up for you, and you turn around and show up for somebody else.
Why we tell this story
She isn’t rare
Here’s the hard truth. Paula’s story isn’t rare. A huge share of Hawaiʻi households work hard and still can’t cover the basics in the same month. Plenty of local families have thought about leaving the islands just because of the cost of living.
That means a lot of the people you see every day, at church, at the market, behind the register, are one setback away from losing what they’ve built. Most of them will never post about it. They’ll just quietly struggle.
We recorded Aunty’s full story so others can hear it. Not to make her a headline, but so somebody out there who’s hurting knows they aren’t the only one.
Not every story is a disaster on the news. Sometimes it’s one aunty on one porch who needs people to show up. Those stories matter just as much.
Who’s your Aunty Paula? Go sit on the porch and listen.
