Hookuaaina at Kapalai

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Hookuaaina at Kapalai

We grow kalo. Growing kalo is our means to growing young people. We provide mentoring programs to bui

We provide mentoring programs to build young lives for a healthy tomorrow.

08/14/2026

Welcome to the Kapalai Kitchen! This is where we share recipes and dishes that utilize different parts of kalo to make delicious home cooked meals. On today’s menu, Meakala shows us how to make Kalo Poke! Recipe below.

6 medium size steamed and cleaned kalo
3 tbsp sesame oil
1 tbsp paʻakai (salt)
3 tbsp shoyu
4 tbsp ʻinamona (roasted & grounded kukui nut)
1 small handful of Ogo (or seaweed of choice)

*all ingredients and serving sizes are calculated based on preference. If you would like more sesame oil or seaweed in your kalo poke, add whatever you prefer! As long as you do not over-salt the kalo. Enjoy! Mahalo! Eat Kalo!

08/04/2026

For more than 10 years, the Johnson ʻOhana Foundation has been a faithful partner of Hoʻokuaʻāina, investing in our work and the people we serve. Their support has helped us care for ʻāina, connect youth to culture and place, and inspire the next generation of environmental stewards.

The Johnson ʻOhana Foundation’s commitment to creating lasting change through environmental education and community-based initiatives reflects so much of what we believe, that when people deepen their connection to the land, they strengthen their communities and create a better future for generations to come.

To Jack, Kim, and the entire Johnson ʻOhana Foundation team, mahalo for believing in our mission and walking alongside us for the past decade. Your generosity has had a lasting impact on our youth, our ʻohana, and the ʻāina we are privileged to care for.

Mahalo nui for more than a decade of partnership, trust, and aloha. We are deeply grateful to continue this journey together.

08/01/2026

Lā Hoʻihoʻi Ea is a reminder that restoration is both a hope and a daily practice. It is caring for ʻāina, growing kalo, rebuilding community, and strengthening the mana that lives within our people and our places.
As we continue to hope for the full restoration of the ea of our lāhui, we also celebrate the many signs of restoration already taking root across these islands. Every loʻi restored, every stream cleared, every young person connected to ʻāina, every seed planted, and every act of aloha helps cultivate a healthier, more abundant future.
At Hoʻokuaʻāina, we believe lasting change is built through faithful stewardship, hands working together, and communities choosing to care for one another and the places that sustain us. We are grateful to play a part in that ongoing work.
Ke Akua is in the business of restoration, and we are blessed to join Him in cultivating hope for generations to come. 🌱

07/31/2026

We are excited to announce the return of POI DAY! For at least now through the Fall Season, we at Ho’okuaʻāina will be bringing back the much anticipated POI DAY!

Raw Kalo, Kalo Paʻa, and of course Poi is all available for pre-order. Poi Day Pickup is this coming Thursday, August 6th, 2026! Place your pre-orders online now.

100% grown, not flown. All kalo and poi is produced right here at Kapalai. Be a part of making Hawaii a little more sustainable every day. Mahalo, EAT KALO!

07/28/2026

“Ua mau ke ea o ka ‘āina i ka pono.” -Kamehameha III

As we celebrate Lā Hoʻiʻhoʻi Ea this week, we celebrate restoration of land, restoration of independence, and restoration of righteousness. We at Hoʻokuaʻāina celebrate the restoration of land through all the little steps we as well as our brothers and sisters around the pae’āina doing their part to make Hawai’i more sustainable. How do we re establish what was taken? By restoring what was lost. Helping our people be sustainable through cultivating kalo. Building up our next generation through passing down of traditions and lessons of our kupuna. Mahalo to all those working to make Hawaii a little more sustainable.

07/23/2026

🌱We’re Hiring: Agricultural Operations Manager🌱
Join Hoʻokuaʻāina and help shape one of Hawaiʻi’s most exciting models of regenerative agriculture, cultural restoration, and food security.
We’re looking for an experienced agricultural leader to help oversee daily operations across our Kapalai and newly acquired 116-acre Pālāwai site. This is a unique opportunity to lead a growing farm and help bring a bold vision for Hawaiʻi’s future to life.
Location: Kailua, Oʻahu (Pālāwai & Kapalai)
Full-Time | Tuesday–Saturday, competitive salary based on experience
If you’re passionate about agriculture, leadership, and aloha ʻāina, we’d love to hear from you.
To apply, check out our linktree in our bio!
Please share with anyone who may be a great fit. Mahalo!

07/15/2026

It was a beautiful and awesome day with principles, vice principles, teachers, and other members from the Hawaii Department of Education here with us at Kapa.
We were able to discuss the importance of 'āina education within our school systems in Hawai'i and what it means to be a student of the land and ocean.
It is important that more students in our public DOE system learn from our 'āina and get outside of the four-walled classrooms. Many expressed their gratitude for the time that they spent with Ho'okua'āina, learning and growing together just as our students do at Kapalai.

07/10/2026

“Look deep into nature, and then you will understand everything better.” -Albert Einstein
We at Hoʻokuaʻāina believe that there is so much more to learn and understand about our elder brother Hāloa. We are proud to have hosted UH Mānoa’s Ethnomathematics Graduate Program to work in the ’āina as well as perform studies into kalo and how we can do better care for our kalo. Below is a reflection of their experience with us at Kapalai. Check it out!

The 2026–2027 UH Mānoa Ethnomathematics Graduate Certificate and M.Ed. Curriculum Studies, Mathematics Education cohort recently completed a visit to Hoʻokuaʻāina. Ethnomathematics is an approach to teaching and learning that connects mathematics to culture, place, community, and real-world problem solving. Rather than presenting mathematics as separate from everyday life, ethnomathematics helps educators recognize the mathematical thinking already embedded in cultural practices, ecological relationships, navigation, agriculture, design, sustainability, and community care. The current cohort consists of eight educators from the Hawaiian Islands (Oʻahu, Maui, Kauai, and Molokai) and across the continent, including Arizona, Wisconsin, and Washington.

The visit offered a powerful example of this work in action. Participants began in service by helping clean 185 lbs of kalo to support efforts to feed the community. That hands-on experience with kalo then became the foundation for interdisciplinary learning that connected ʻāina, science, and mathematics. Participants explored the self-cleaning properties of kalo leaves, observed the structure of different leaf surfaces using microscopes, compared hydrophobicity across species, and used mathematical tools to calculate contact angles - a way of measuring how water interacts with a surface. Through this experience, the cohort examined how careful observation, measurement, geometry, and scientific inquiry can deepen our understanding of the natural world while remaining grounded in aloha ʻāina, community, and cultural practice.

07/08/2026

We mahalo our friends from who came to help us here at Kapalai! We are so grateful for their kōkua and hana they put into the ’āina here. Below is their testimony from their time with us. Check it out!

On Saturday, June 27, 2026, the Hawaiian Electric Hawaiian Culture Employee Resource Group (ERG), Kākou, was grateful to be given the opportunity to learn, contribute and experience the beautiful property that has been created by Ho‛okua‛āina! We appreciated the time Dean Wilhelm spent with us before our work began, walking to the hale, to talk story and to give some history and perspective of the place, and what we would do and experience. The staff from Claudia who helped with preparations and communications leading up to the event, to the multiple workers/students who shared their time, knowledge, and physical help that day were greatly appreciated and added to the feeling of cooperation and ‛ohana. One of our Kākou leaders said that the experience helped her greatly appreciate the hard work that goes into farming, and she has an even greater appreciation for poi! Mahalo nui for working with us, and we are glad we could contribute a small part to the success of the lo‛i and we wish Ho‛okua‛āina continued prosperity.

07/04/2026

What does fighting for independence look like in today’s modern Hawaiʻi? As the United States celebrates 250 years of freedom and its independence, we at Ho’okuaʻāina want to highlight Hawaiʻi’s need to be food sustainable and resource independent. As Hawaii still imports 85%-90% of its food and supplies from outside sources, we want to celebrate our local farmers, kanaka, and non-profits doing their part to make Hawaiʻi a little more sustainably independant every day. We thank our staff, interns, ASA participants, and our numerous volunteers who help us throughout the year.

Address

916E Auloa Road
Maunawili, HI
96734

Website

http://www.hookuaaina.org/, https://linktr.ee/hookuaaina

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