Native Hawaiian and raised on Maui, Matt Jachowski, is a proud Maui High School graduate. When the August fires happened, he and his wife Veronica immediately knew they wanted to house fire survivors. However, finding a family proved more difficult than they expected. It was challenging for them to connect with a displaced family who wanted to live where the Jachowskis are located, near an elementary school.
“At the same time, my sister, Holly Badr-El-Din, was working with the Maui Rapid Response Housing Team, where they were pouring over spreadsheets and trying to manually connect displaced families and landlords,” Jachowski explained. “As a software developer, I knew there was a better way, so I started building a website to automatically connect landlords and homeowners to displaced families whose housing requests aligned with the homes being offered.”
He recalled, “Two months after the fire, I finally released the Maui Hale Match website, mauihalematch.org, with the support of Maui Rapid Response. Immediately, fire survivors started making housing requests. For example, on the Maui Hale Match website, displaced fire survivors input the type of housing they need, their situation, and what they can afford. Property owners and landlords input what type of housing they can offer and any other pertinent information. When there is a match, the person looking for the housing and person offering the housing are each notified about the other through email, hopefully resulting in a lease.”
Maui has many empty second homes and short-term rentals, nearly 19,000 units in West Maui and South Maui combined. Jachowski says this is far more than enough to immediately house the 3,000+ displaced families. Most of the families requesting housing want to stay on Maui, but a small number are open to housing on other islands. Homeowners statewide are encouraged to sign up and see whether they can help.
Jachowski added, “I am asking the community to spread the word about those affected by the fires who still need long-term housing and stability. My hope is that more of our second-home and short-term rental owners will open up their hearts and homes.”
I hope to make it easier for displaced fire survivors to connect with homeowners and landlords that have available units they can afford.
Matt Jachowski
For the past 30 years, Maui resident Louis Coulombe has built a reputation for Lahaina’s beachfront restaurant, Pacific’o on the Beach. While there are no words for the amount of loss and tragedy that continues to unfold in Lahaina, few people on island are aware of Coulombe’s crop-diversified, sustainable O’o Farm. Offering meals prepared on-site by the farm chef along with daily farm tours at 3,500 feet above sea level, O’o Farm’s 8.5 acres are situated on pristine Kula land, sustainably maintained and naturally cultivated with a no-till approach. In 2000, surfing buddies turned successful restaurateurs, Coulombe and Stephan Bel-Robert purchased the upcountry land that had only a citrus orchard and a few coffee trees. Today, O’o Farm includes Hawaiian coffee and fruit trees, rows of lettuce and garden vegetables, and green houses with flavorful tomatoes, herbs, flowers, a gift shop, and more.
“To grow locally on an island is one of the most sustainable things you can do,” said Coulombe. “If you operate a restaurant and can recycle food waste in the farm compost—even better. If you can follow crop diversification and organic methods—even better. If you can share what you do with the community and visitors, I think it contributes to the sustainable front.”
During the covid pandemic, and recently the Maui wildfires, community members picked up boxes of produce from the farm. O’o Farm supplies Maui Food Bank, and numerous restaurants and chefs around the island. O’o Farm Chef and Farm Manager Daniel Eskelsen said,“It’s my joy to be able to pass along the fruits of our labor. We like to share our farming methods with our guests and explain how we grow, harvest, and roast coffee at the highest elevation in the state. Our guests also learn about how our free-range farm chickens help us remove invasive grass and fertilize along drip lines in the trees.”
Mainland tour and lunch participants Grant and Pat Lucas from Texas shared their O’o Farm experience. “The amount of knowledge and our freshest seed-to-cup and farm-to-table meal was unmatched. With the bi-coastal views and quiet charm of farm life, this was a priceless experience. We’ll be back!”
Here at O’o Farm and Pacific’o, students may apply for internships receiving full college credits. Volunteers who want to learn about sustainable farming should also contact us.
Daniel Eskelsen, O’o Farm Chef and Farm Manager
The County of Maui Volunteer Center joins with over 100 nonprofits to mobilize volunteers for those affected by the Maui wildfires. Many people are searching for ways to assist the community right now. Below is a short list of some of the current opportunities within the Center’s partner agencies. Volunteer opportunities will continue to arise over the coming months as help, recovery and healing are all needed.
Maui Strong Fund: Administered by the Hawaii Community Foundation, the fund provides financial resources to support the immediate and long-term recovery needs for residents affected by the wildfires. See www.mauinuistrong.info for information on how to donate or volunteer to assist. For additional information, call 808-270-7285.
Maui United Way: MUW plans to continue providing monetary grants to each resident with a home or business in the burn zones. Those who want to donate should go to mauiunitedway.org or call 808-244-8787 to volunteer.
Maui Food Bank: The sign-up form is on the website: mauifoodbank.org. Scroll down and click ‘Emergency Volunteer Sign-Up’. Non-perishable food donations can be dropped off daily from 6:30 a.m.-6:00 p.m. to the Maui Food Bank Store at 90 Amala Place, Kahului.
Hawaii Red Cross: Register online as a Hawaii Red Cross Volunteer or streamline the application by visiting their office at 95 Mahalani Street, Conference Room # 3, Building 5, Wailuku.
Na Hoaloha: Volunteers provide escorted transportation for seniors who need to go to medical appointments, grocery shopping, and more. To volunteer, call 808-249-2545.
Our Kupuna: Join them in making a difference in the Our Kupuna Volunteer Program. For more information, go to http://www.ourkupuna.com/volunteer .
Maui Humane Society: To volunteer or donate, go to info@mauihumanesociety.org or call 808-877-3680.
Maui Rescue Mission: Offering a mobile resource center for those struggling with homelessness. Recently, donors and volunteers delivered 100 fire relief bags to those displaced by the fire. Contact them at info@mauirescuemission.org or call 808-727-9008
MEDB’s ‘ohana continues to hold all those affected by the Maui fires in our thoughts and prayers as we work collectively to serve our community’s recovery and renewal.
Leslie Wilkins, MEDB President & CEO
MEDB stands with our community in shock and profound grief at the enormity of the catastrophe on Maui’s West Side and Upcountry. Like so many on our island, we have been personally touched with loss and trauma that too many others have shared.
The eyes of the world are focused on Maui – our predicament remains on the front pages of the international media, whether print or digital. Like many others here, we at MEDB have received messages from the global community of support, empathy and compassion. We would like to assure our community that we will strive in the weeks and months ahead to serve at the forefront of our community’s recovery and renewal. To all who have suffered loss, we express our deepest and heartfelt sympathy.
Providing everything the community has come to expect from it, the popular Maui County Farm Bureau Maui AgFest & 4-H Livestock Fair was held in June 2023. The event, to raise awareness about Maui agriculture, brought together ag industry and supporters to share what each group does for the collective good of ag in the County. Agriculture’s vital role in the economy and lifestyle of Maui was showcased by the Legacy Breakfast honoring longtime farmers, the fresh produce and vendors, food trucks, live local entertainment, a keiki zone, cooking classes, an educational tent, farmers market, the Grand Taste, and last but certainly not least, the Maui 4-H Livestock Show and Auction.
“The 4-H’ers were keen to talk about their program while showcasing their animals,” said Nancy Ooki, Assistant Extension Agent 4-H Youth Development, College of Tropical Agriculture and Human Resources, University of Hawaii. “They’re proud to exhibit their healthy and groomed livestock animals including cows, pigs, goats, sheep, chickens, and more. Managing and raising livestock is a must-have opportunity for our keiki.”
Maui 4-H Livestock offers two types of projects: Market and Breeding. Market projects in beef cattle, sheep, and swine entails the 4-H member raising, feeding and finishing an animal to proper market weight for harvest. Breeding projects allow the 4-H member to raise cattle and goats as breeding stock. At the final show, an expert judge evaluates the livestock for their potential as either breeding or market animals, provides a critique for each animal in the class, and compares the form of the animal with the purpose it is intended to serve.
Landon Lung, Carden Academy 7th grader, shared, “My brother and I enjoy raising animals and being members of 4-H. We attend 4-H meetings and our whole family is involved. We learn about agriculture, how to take care of the animals, and how animals can help us care for our land and environment. Our 4-H Pledge is ‘My HEAD to clearer thinking; My HEART to greater loyalty; My HANDS to larger service; and My HEALTH to better living, for my club, my community, my country, and my world.’”
Healthy living, science, and citizenship are incorporated into projects other than livestock throughout the year. 4-H special-interest programs focus on specific topic areas that teach experientially.
Nancy Ooki
Assistant Extension Agent 4-H Youth Development, College of Tropical Agriculture and Human Resources, University of Hawaii
“Poetry,” as the late Maui resident W.S. Merwin said, “is a way of looking at the world for the first time.” These oft-quoted words have come alive again for Sonnet Kekilia Coggins, Executive Director of The Merwin Conservancy. In recent days she has come to think of The Conservancy as a poem, a space distinct and discrete in form, elusive and inexhaustible in content. The Merwin Conservancy inspires innovation in the arts and sciences by advancing the ideas of W.S. Merwin and his palm forest── as fearless and graceful examples of the power of imagination and renewal. “It is a place of agency, evolution, and possibilities beyond its own imagining,” Coggins said. “A walk here in this poetic place, particularly in the company of the writers, artists, and scientists who come to dwell here for a time, is most certainly a way of looking at the world anew.”
The Green Room Series, offering sparking conversations about language, nature, and imagination, are back in-person at the Hui No’eau Visual Arts Center in Makawao after a long hiatus. Thanks in part to funding from the Hawaii Council for the Humanities, The Conservancy also produced a virtual walk through W.S. Merwin’s palm garden. Moreover, the garden is now open again once a month to the public. The Conservancy has hosted creative writing classes from UH and looks forward to hosting Maui County school groups again.
“We are happy to share the experience of this place across the islands, the continent, and the world,” Coggins noted. “As we are mid-way through 2023, I look back at the first full year of The Artists in Residency Program. It has been such a great way to continue the vibrant creative life of the house and garden that Merwin created here. It is not only for writers, but all kinds of people who, like Merwin, can see beyond the present moment and see into things that are possible. The imagination is an essential key to solve problems and envision new ways for the future, so it is natural that this program supports the people who do that across all aspects of the arts and sciences.”
We are grateful to all our special guests. May this place open the world around you, ahead of you, and under your feet.
Sonnet Kekilia Coggins, Executive Director, W.S. Merwin Conservancy
Sean Na’auao, multiple time winner of the prestigious Nā Hōkū Hanohano Award, is the concert headliner on Friday, June 30 at The Shops at Wailea. The live performance will take place from 5:30-7pm to benefit Hospice Maui, a nonprofit organization dedicated to providing care to local families experiencing a bereavement state. Na’auao, a multi-talented performer, is one of Hawaii’s most beloved artists. A singer, musician, producer and composer, he started his professional musical career following high school, as part of Mana‘o Company. His solo career started with two releases, “Giving Something Back” and “Hawaiian Living,” in the mid-1990s.
“I always remember where I came from and keep to my roots,” Na’auao said. “Life is about learning and celebrating wisdom through experiences and kupuna. I find inspiration through my ancestors, while perpetuating the Hawaiian music for all generations. Hospice Maui provides an extraordinary service in our community and I am happy to perform a concert to benefit them. It’s truly about giving something back.”
Diana Whitt, General Manager and Vice President for Property Management of The Festival Companies, said, “We are excited that the one-and-only Sean Na‘auao will help us celebrate the start of summer with an incredible performance. We also want to invite our guests to meet the Hospice Maui team and learn how together, we can continue to make a difference in our community.”
At the concert, guests will have the opportunity to learn more about Hospice Maui, the variety of resources they offer, and ways to give back to the organization; including Hospice Maui Hale and palliative and bereavement support. The Hospice Maui team will also discuss community outreach opportunities where interested guests can receive educational support, be part of the discussion on how to provide compassionate care through volunteering, or make a donation.
“We are so grateful for the support of our community, the inspiring dedication of our entire Hospice Maui team, and The Shops at Wailea for being a trusted platform for us to share our efforts,” said Melanie Dwyer, CEO of Hospice Maui. “Together, we will continue to provide compassionate, high quality hospice and palliative care services to those in need.”
I dedicate my music to the people of Hawaii with the hope that it can inspire a love of their origin and roots. Let’s support Hospice Maui together.
Sean Na’auao, Multi-Nā Hōkū Hanohano Award Winner
Maui piano students Henley Anthony, 7, and Ailis Nguyen, 10, took first place in Levels I and II, respectively, at the Hawaii Music Teachers Association’s 2023 Hawaii State Music Competition. They both competed with approximately 16 students in each category. The girls are students of Ruth Murata-Eisen at the Maui Music Conservatory located in the Queen Ka’ahumanu Mall in Kahului. Serving the Maui community for over 30 years, the teachers at the Conservatory are well qualified to help students of all ages and experience advance to higher levels of performance.
Murata-Eisen, elated by the victory, said, “We have been diligently competing in this competition and coming in second or third place in the past years. There is no greater reward than getting that top spot when you have been trying so hard to beat the top players in the State. Winning a competition requires that the students play at their very best under extreme pressure. Both Nguyen and Anthony are to be commended for their drive to succeed and win. Although winning is not everything, it sure beats losing! I have won many competitions with students in the past, but this win was extra special with two incredible students! The girls will continue on, learning new pieces and hoping for the next victory.”
“All the contestants were wonderful,” Nguyen said. “It was a heart-beating moment to wait for the results. I was happily surprised to be selected and the additional Mozart award was the icing on my cupcake! I would like to inspire other children to learn about the beauty and eloquence of classical music—maybe even teach one day when I am older. Music brings me such peace and joy. I want to continue to share it, and hopefully bring more prizes to Maui.”
Anthony added, “I was so excited to win the competition! I started playing piano at age three and fell in love with it. I want to be a professional piano player and keep competing. You have to play from memory to compete, so it’s a real challenge. I have to practice a lot!”
Maui Economic Development Board wishes Ailis and Henley the best of luck as they continue to pursue their dreams and inspire others to achieve theirs.
Leslie Wilkins, MEDB President & CEO
Longtime Maui resident Carol Adyeeri Adams is a global activist, philanthropist and founder of Youth Encouragement Services (YES) Uganda in Fort Portal. Today, she is also an author. In her first and inspiring book, Grit of Love: A Memoir, the lifelong humanitarian brings clarity, compassion, and a sense of humor to the essential question of ‘how to love’. After experiencing a new awakening to faith while living on Maui, Adams made her way to Uganda to start and run YES, where she devotes her life to the work of helping the orphans, the poor, and the marginalized.
“At the beginning of 1995, I was living on Maui, running the riding program at Mauka Lani Stables,” Adams explained. “I was doing very well and had leisure time to enjoy life on my beautiful island. However, I had this intense feeling that I should be contributing more to the world, but was not sure how.”
Adams, a deeply religious lady from Po’okela Church in Makawao, with strong connections to other island churches, Rotary Clubs, organizations, and people on island, felt that God gave her the thought that she should consider the mission field, which she did in Africa. Once she reached Uganda, she faced many trials and obstacles. Nevertheless, she found herself and her calling in the process. Her memoir gives our Maui community an inside glimpse into the life of an unsung hero.
Adams noted, “Upon arriving in Uganda, my challenges were great. However, one person after another showed up at the most critical times. One day a minister showed up, who also had a desire to work with orphans and widows in the Fort Portal area. As our callings seemed to coincide we became immersed in working at our orphanage, Manna Rescue Home, for children born with AIDS.”
In her book, Adams shares how humanitarian work focuses on creating a positive impact that the world needs now. She also encourages others to keep going even when things are hard. She reflected, “I am forever grateful to the loving Maui community who continue to help our YES ministry.”
I will be giving a talk at the Makawao School cafeteria from 5:30-7pm on April 28th. My book, Grit of Love: A Memoir, is available on Amazon.
Carol Adams, Author, Humanitarian, Founder, YES Uganda
