District 50 Lion’s member recognized with annual title
KAHULUI—The founding executive director of Maui nonprofit Common Ground Collective has been honored with the distinguished title of District 50 Hawai‘i Lions’ Humanitarian of the Year.
The D50 Hawai‘i Lions, which champions community service and philanthropy, awarded Common Ground Collective’s Jennifer Karaca with the honor during the District 50 Hawai‘i Lions Annual Award Ceremony on April 27 in Honolulu. The award was given to her in recognition of her tireless work in the wake of the Maui fires.
Karaca has been the driving force behind Common Ground Collective’s mission to increase food security, economic opportunities and education for Maui’s community members, along with most recently working to ensure that families still reeling in the aftermath of the August 2023 fires are nourished and have access to fresh, locally-grown foods.
Under her visionary leadership, Common Ground Collective has been striving to foster social equity in disaster relief programming and develop the supply of locally-grown food in relief efforts. In 2023, Common Ground Collective helped provide over 230,000 hot meals, more than 15,000 food boxes and hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of food and supplies to the Westside Community Resource Hubs.
“Jennifer Karaca is a visionary leader of our time and she’s incredibly deserving of this award for her tireless dedication to improving Maui food systems and her ability to act in a time of crisis” said Barry Henry, president and chairman at Common Ground Collective. “Jennifer’s unwavering commitment to addressing feeding needs is paving the way toward a more food-secure island community. It’s a blessing to be able to work alongside such an inspirational person.”
Paul Seto of the Kahului Lions Club nominated Karaca for the award for her leadership and work focused on empowering communities, feeding those in need, and creating lasting change in Maui’s food systems.
“In the wake of Hawaii’s most devastating disasters that occurred on Maui, we have witnessed a community member that emerged as a strong and resilient leader,” Seto said. “She has led the way and continues to lead to help support, encourage, and provide one of the most essential necessities of life: feeding the displaced and most vulnerable members of our community.”
“Jennifer met the call to action to swiftly step up and maximize resources,” Seto explained. “Her dedication to ensure that every donation received is channeled toward initiatives to make the most significant impact on fire relief efforts. Her leadership skills in planning, organization and executing programs to benefit affected residents and our entire community is above and beyond.”
Jennifer Karaca expressed heartfelt gratitude for the recognition, stating, “I am deeply honored to receive this award from the D50 Hawai‘i Lions.
This recognition is not just a celebration of my efforts but a tribute to the collaborative spirit of our organization and phenomenal community.
I extend my sincere thanks to the Maui Lions Clubs for their unwavering support and for their contributions to initiatives like our Fire Relief Food Box Program at the University of Hawaii and the numerous other remarkable projects they support across Maui County and the state.
Together, we are making a meaningful difference in the lives of those in need.”