News & Events!

Work Days at Waimea Middle School:
Community members, students, teachers, staff and families are invited to our work days, from 9AM to noon.  A pot luck lunch will follow and chilled lemongrass tea will be provided made from herbs grown by students in the garden.  If the weather is inclement, please call ahead to confirm that the work day is being held.
Info: Garden Leader Amanda Rieux (640-3637).

For other recent events ...  see the Event History page!

News from Māla‘ai


Part of the 2300+ pounds of pumpkin
 harvest this fall! 		 
Aerial of Mala'ai by Tom Benedict

Dear Friends,
 
As we gaze out at our school garden toward Mauna Kea on a cool Waimea day, we can see Māla‘ai is thriving.  Everywhere you look there is evidence of Pa ’ahana – hard, industrious work – by literally hundreds of Waimea Middle Public Conversion Charter School students and dozens of community volunteers!  In the nearly 5 years since we began working on the land, our garden has grown from an idea into a productive beautiful sanctuary.
 
Pa’ahana is Waimea Middle School’s ‘Ike Hawai’i cultural learning theme this year.  Our students are practicing this in many ways – from turning compost piles to preparing garden beds for planting, to harvesting well over 2,200 pounds of produce and discovering many delicious fresh foods.  They also are experiencing the power of collective work as stewards of the land.
 
The learning that occurs in the garden touches many levels.  Hands on, relevant lessons in the garden connect to science, math, language arts and social studies.  Students experience the cultural values of respect for the earth and each other while learning healthy life choices and planting seeds for personal and community wellness.
 
None of this would be possible without hundreds of community volunteers and contributors sharing their time, talents and treasure.  We have certainly grown from the first tiny garden patch in a field of kikuyu grass where we planted taro huli gifted to Māla’ai by Mr. and Mrs. Ichiro Yamaguchi of Waimea.
 
Community support makes our work possible...
 
We are writing both to share our progress and ask your help.  Your support is essential to continuing the work with our students, their families and our island community.  We are proud of our solid track record as a low cost, high-impact 501(c)3 not-for-profit, fueled by passion and wise leadership at a time when sustainability and self-sufficiency are local and global issues ripe with opportunity.
 
There’s an added incentive for contributing now to Māla’ai.  Two friends of the garden have offered a Challenge Grant totaling $5,000.  Thus, your contribution would be both tax deductible and matched by theirs – how sweet it that!
 
In this time of thanksgiving and celebration, we are so grateful for your support and promise that all contributions will be put to meaningful use.
We also welcome you to come visit Māla’ai, which is at its very best when students are at work under the watchful mentorship of our Garden Teacher and volunteers.  To schedule a visit, give us a call or send an email.  We also invite you to visit our website www.malaai.org to learn more about our garden.
 
Mahalo and a hui hou –
       Jan Dean (775-0401)                         Amanda Rieux (640-3637)
       Board Chair                                             Garden Leader
 

 Yes! I would like to help match the Challenge Grant made to Māla’ai.

 
Or if you would prefer to send a check, please make check payable to:
 Māla’ai.  P.O. Box 6954 * Kamuela, HI 96743.

Principles of Pa’ahana