This year, Hoa 'Āina O Mākaha (HAOM) celebrates 45 wonderful years of life, growth, and lots of aloha in our beloved community! It's amazing to think about the abundance of hearts and hands that have come to the farm over many generations contributing to the waiwai of this place and its people. From our HAOM 'ohana, we wanted to express our deepest heartfelt gratitude to each of you for being a part of our journey so far. The dedication of our founders, board of directors, staff, partners, funders, volunteers, keiki, kumu, 'ohanas, and many more have allowed us the incredible privilege to serve our community for this long. We look forward to sharing in this work with all of you for many more years to come!

"For years, Hoa 'Āina O Mākaha has worked hand-in-hand with its neighbors to create a place where people of all ages can experience the remarkable cultural, natural, and community strengths of their ahupua'a. Although this land-based education center is strongly regional, its mission of building connections between people and nature are universal." Excerpt from Hoa 'Āina O Mākaha: Celebrating 40 years of sharing this land in friendship booklet.

Please help us in celebrating this milestone by sharing a special memory you have while on the farm. We love hearing all of the stories about what HAOM means to our community. You're welcome to share your story by following this link, https://forms.gle/n743CbSghPfXJsWU7.

Kūpuna U-Pick with Papahana 'o Kaiona Tuesday April 2, 2024

9:00am-11:30am

Are you a kūpuna and would like to take home fresh, locally grown fruits and vegetables, plant starters, and spend time on the farm with our staff and 'ōpio from Wai'anae? If so, join us at our Kūpuna U-Pick where students from Papahana 'o Kaiona will lead stations on the farm - harvesting, herb salt, pickle mango, recipe sharing, sugarcane juice, and cooking demos. Kūpuna 55+ are welcome, bring your mo'opuna!

Māna 'Ai Kālai (Carving) Workshop with Kaulunani and Nalu Andrade

Saturday April 20, 2024: 9:00am-12:00pm

Sunday April 21, 2024: 9:00am-2:00pm

We're excited to partner with Kaulunani Urban and Community Forestry Program and Hawaiian carving practitioner Nalu

Andrade to host a two-day workshop on April 20 and April 21 at our farm! Participants will learn about trees and forests, spend time on the farm helping to mālama this space alongside other 'ohana, and will get to carve a māna 'ai (baby's first food dish). There is no cost to participants, Kaulunani covers all of the fees. Nalu will provide the supplies for carving and tools for this workshop. This workshop is currently full, but we will have a waitlist in case any spaces open up. Please contact us for more details.

U-Pick Farm To Basket with Mālama Learning Center

Saturday April 27, 2024

8:00am-12:00pm

Join us for a special U-Pick event in collaboration with Mālama Learning Center (MLC). In addition to getting to harvest your own vegetables and fruits from the farm, MLC staff will share about trees and their many benefits, lead tree planting demonstrations, and will giveaway trees for 'ohana who come from West O'ahu, one tree per 'ohana. Tree planting demonstrations and giveaway will be from 9:00am-11:00am. *Must attend a tree planting demo to receive a free tree.

Ke Ala Educational Farm Visits (Ongoing)

Schools, partners, and organizations are invited to visit us to learn how to grow and harvest mea 'ai, taste farm-fresh samples, see the animals, and do some hana on the farm. Please email us for visit inquiries.

Ka Pa'alana Preschool Site

Wednesdays, Thursdays

9:00am-11:00am

Did you know that Hoa 'Āina O Mākaha is a Ka Pa'alana preschool site? This 'ohana program services keiki 0 to 5 years old with parent and child together time and classes. There is no cost to attend. Check out the Partners In Development website for more details, www.pidf.org.

Kaulu Papahana Huaka'i Summer Session

June 2024 (Dates TBD)

We offer a special Papahana Huaka'i Summer Session for keiki ages 6-12 years old as part of our Nā Keiki O Ka 'Āina Program. During this summer session based mainly at the farm, keiki will learn about mahi'ai practices, sustainable food systems, animals, stewardship of 'āina, and Hawaiian culture through hands-on activities. Flyer and registration coming soon!

Mana'o From Beloveds

Over the last several months, we have been gathering some reflections from haumāna, kumu/alaka'i, 'ohana, and kūpuna to gain a deeper understanding of the impact of our different programs based at the farm. Here are some mana'o from beloveds in our community.

Keiki Mana'o

"My favorite part is when we got to feed the animals because we could pet animals. I learned that fruits were flowers before they were a fruit! If bees were not alive there would be no fruits and mostly that there would be no beautiful things alive."

"Dear Hoa 'Āina O Mākaha, thank you for teaching us some things. Thank you for teaching us about animals and nature. Thank you for letting us have a plant and grow it. My favorite part was looking at cool animals."

Kumu Mana'o

"The students understand that when working in the māla, everyone has a kuleana and just being in that space made them feel proud of who they are and where they come from and knowing that the 'āina they are on is theirs."

"Students from the Waiʻanae Coast were so excited to see your space was near their homes. This provided a sense of belonging for them. The keiki strengthened their sense of kuleana and kūpono by learning about caring for our 'āina and seeing the ahupuaʻa model shared with them. The staff shared so much aloha with our haumāna and showed them how to share aloha with the 'āina. Learning how to mālama the 'āina, having sinks readily available for keiki to wash hands, learning about where our food comes from and planting food in the garden and to take home helped to strengthen their sense of total well-being."

'Ohana Mana'o

"I loved coming here and learning about the work you do with the elementary and placed/'āina based curriculum in the past. It was great being able to come to U-pick with my family!"

"I love the U-Pick events. They are such a wonderful and valuable thing for our community, and I really want to see more of our neighbors attending."

Kūpuna Mana'o

"The Kūpuna U-Pick reminds me of the way I grew up, the old ways. Felt like tutus house."

"More kūpuna should know about this event!"