Living Pono Project

Locally-sourced foods filll Mahi’ai Baskets for 400+ Maui families.

The Living Pono Project has been nourishing those affected by the Maui wildfires. Working out of its Kahului hub, the organization is purchasing and distributing food for between 400 and 500 families a week with its Mahi‘ai Baskets program.

The project is also helping to promote a positive circular economy, because its food is being purchased from local producers. Hoapili Ane, executive director of the Living Pono Project, says, “We start with as many 100-percent-Maui-produced foods as we can, then move toward other Maui County sources, and, if necessary, go to food suppliers on Kauaʻi, Oʻahu and Hawaiʻi Island.” The Maui Strong Fund of the Hawaiʻi Community Foundation is providing financial resources via a grant to help support these efforts.

Living Pono offers foods such as “‘ulu, poi, kalo, apples, bananas, oranges, zucchini, tomatoes,” says Ane. Various proteins are available too, such as cod, catfish, ground turkey, ground venison, salmon, shrimp—as well as staples like bread, eggs, and milk. The venison meat serves a dual purpose, too, as the deer are an invasive species.

“No matter what you are going through, if there’s food on the table, there’s less worry,” says Ane. “When people come in and they say, ‘You don’t know how much this means,’ and I don’t because I am not in their shoes, but that is what keeps us going. Our kuleana is to feed our people.”

Read more Stories of Impact