Even before the nurse placed her order, the owner of The Valley Health Bar gave thanks.

Waikoloa Noa, a former University of Hawaii football player, has a deep appreciation for people who serve on the front line, for people who teach and make sacrifices for others, for people in general.

“Everything is trying to divide a community,” Noa said. “Everything is separating us from loving each other. I want to be part of pushing us together.”

At his establishment on Kinau Street, in a pink building that used to be a saimin joint, Noa created the “Give Aloha Board.” There are listings for several categories, such as nurses, high school students, police officers, firefighters, musicians. If you fall under one of the categories, you might be eligible for a free sandwich or wrap.

“Give Aloha Board is for others who are doing OK to give aloha to the next person,” Noa explained.

Noa initially donated all the food items. In time, patrons ordered extra food to be donated to those on the board.

“When I first started,” Noa said of the restaurant that opened last June, “I was covering it myself. Now people donate.”

Noa remembered the struggles as a kid. “I didn’t have money when I was in high school,” he said. “Coming from a family of nine kids, you don’t get an allowance.”

He said there was a disheveled man who asked for a cup of water. Noa gave him a sandwich, then added “homeless” to the board.

He also has found matching categories for those whose charge cards are declined. “Picture yourself at a grocery store and there’s a line behind you, and your card doesn’t work,” Noa said. “You freeze up. You’re embarrassed. I’m not about that. There are people in the community who care about others. You’d be surprised how many. I’ll say, ‘Somebody bought an extra sandwich. Would you like to have it?’ They’re grateful to have something.”

Noa said he left blank spaces for donors to create new categories, such as single mothers and flight attendants.

Noa made sure to include walk-on student-athletes.

“Because I was a college walk-on with no money,” he said.

Noa said nobody has tried to abuse the system. He also said his business, which is open weekdays from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., is able to handle any shortfall in donations. “We’re doing OK,” Noa said.

Noa said his other mission is to create healthier meal options. “I believe Hawaii suffers from the spoon and the fork,” Noa said. “We have a high rate of diabetes. I wanted to be part of that fight. How could I stay true to where I am and who I am, being raised as a local boy from a Hawaiian family? I still want to eat good, but I wanted to eat a little bit cleaner. It’s hard to take a locally raised person from loco-mocos and mac salads all the way to eating quinoa. There has to be something in the middle, something that helps the process.”

Noa said he began cooking for family members during the pandemic. He said his grandmother was a caterer who passed on several recipes. His father, Henry Noa, a former UH receiver and June Jones’ college roommate, is a skilled chef who specializes in sauces. Noa said he began building a menu in the months leading to opening his restaurant.

“Like any project I do, I don’t just jump into it,” he said. “I build little pieces throughout the year. That’s how I built my menu.”

Noa, who grew up in Kuliouou, said his menu is based on 14 different Hawaiian valleys. The most popular item is the “Waiahole Valley,” a sandwich consisting of avocado, cucumber, lettuce, tomato and sprouts with organic hummus on multi-grain bread. The “Manoa Valley” is an acai bowl.

“It’s refreshing, like Manoa mist,” he said. “When we practiced every morning in Manoa, it had that mist, that little rain.”

Noa said the clientele is diverse. “There are a lot of construction workers who come down to eat,” he said. “Sometimes there’s a good-sized Hawaiian, and I’ll say, ‘You should try this sandwich. The Waiahole is vegetarian.’ It’s so fulfilling to see them finish their sandwich and salad, and they’re like, ‘Ho, that was a good sandwich. I really don’t need to have a plate lunch every single meal.’ That’s our mission to help fight the battle.”

Noa, a former defensive back, is one of three siblings to play for the Warriors. The youngest, Kumoku Noa, is petitioning for an exemption to play this coming season. Whether the waiver is granted, there is another goal for the Noa family. Eight of the nine siblings already have earned college degrees.

“Kumoku will be the last sibling to graduate from college,” Waikoloa Noa said. “My mom’s request is everybody finish college.”