Kekaha Agriculture Association donates $2,500 to MEO

A $2,500 check from the Kekaha Agriculture Association on Kauaʻi, arranged by board member Kai Pelayo, was presented to Maui Economic Opportunity at the nonprofit’s fundraising gala on Saturday, March 22, at the King Kamehameha Golf Club in Waikapū.

Pelayo is community affairs manager for Bayer-Maui and represents the Maui Native Hawaiian Chamber of Commerce on the MEO board. Lt. Gov. Sylvia Luke and state House Speaker Nadine Nakamura, who represents East and North Kauaʻi, handed the check to MEO CEO Debbie Cabebe at the event.

The Kekaha Agriculture Association is an agricultural cooperative on Kauaʻi, with Bayer Hawaiʻi as one of its members. The association focuses on managing Kekaha’s agricultural infrastructure, developing economically viable and sustainable farms, and operating the Waimea hydroelectric plant.

As part of its more than 30 diverse programs, MEO supports farms and farmworkers. The nonprofit operated the National Farmworker Jobs Program for more than 20 years in Hawaiʻi, and currently administers the federally funded Senior Farmers’ Market Nutrition Program, which offers kupuna coupons for fresh produce at farmers markets. MEO also runs the county-funded micro-agriculture grant program, which offers up to $25,000 to small farms in Maui County.

“Mahalo to the Kekaha Agriculture Association for your support and Kai Pelayo for connecting the Kekaha Ag Association with MEO,” Cabebe said. “We are grateful for this generous donation, which will be used to support funding gaps.

“It was an honor to have this donation presented by Lt. Gov. Luke and Speaker Nakamura on behalf of the association.”