MEO has driven Hāna residents to Central Maui and back since its beginning

East Maui residents have relied on Maui Economic Opportunity buses to shuttle back and forth between Hāna/Keʻanae and Central Maui since the agency opened up shop at the Old Hāna School in the late 1960s.

MEO was chartered 60 years ago to assist low income residents throughout Maui County, including the islands of Moloka‘i and Lana‘i and the rural East Maui. This week, MEO throws a spotlight on its work in East Maui.

Transportation continues to be the mainstay of MEO Hāna services today, with 1,854 rides provided in December 2024, a slow month according to Kane Kanaka‘ole, the current MEO Hāna Branch Manager. Residents hop the bus to travel within East Maui from Kīpahulu to Keʻanae and for the 50-plus-mile (one-way) trip to Central Maui to shop, see the doctor, catch a flight and make other appointments on weekdays.

Buses also transport youth to practices and competitions, sometimes coordinating with MEO Moloka‘i and Lana‘i on home-and-home sporting contests, and kupuna and other residents to their jobs and other events.

MEO offers most of its other 30 programs in East Maui, including utility and rental assistance and monthly surplus food distribution. Kanaka‘ole says MEO has always been a lifeline for kupuna in East Maui, as well.

MEO Business Development Center has been active in the community in recent years, helping small farmers receive the county Micro Agriculture Grant and supporting small businesses in town.

The nonprofit Community Action Agency has become a part of the fabric of the community, recently joining the Festivals of Aloha and the parade through town.

In the 2023-24 fiscal year, MEO assisted more than 800 individuals in East Maui with its staff of five, led by Kanaka‘ole. Raised in Hāna, he has been in charge of the Hāna Branch since August 2024 after joining MEO Hāna as a driver in January 2024.

Prior to joining MEO, Kanaka‘ole worked at the Hyatt Hāna-Maui Resort and Hāna Health. He earned an Associate of Arts in Hawaiian studies and language from UH-Maui College and attended Hāna High & Elementary from kindergarten to 12^thgrade.

The MEO Hāna Office is located at the Hāna Community Center, 5101 Uakea Road, and is open 7:45 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. weekdays.  To reach the MEO Hāna Office, call 808-248-8282.