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Applications for Agricultural Micro Grant Program available
Applications for the popular Agricultural Micro Grant Program 2.0 – which offers up to $25,000 in grants to Maui County small farmers and administered by Maui Economic Opportunity – are available beginning today, Oct. 14. The $1.5 million Maui County-funded program is...
Senior Fair Prize Drawing
To enter the drawing for prizes at the Senior Fair, including a television (donated by Council Member Yuki Lei Sugimura), gift certificates to Maui businesses and Furry Friends (the Maui County Office on Aging), please fill out our online entry form by Monday, Oct....
God’s Lanes athleisure startup wins $25,000 MEO program grant
Landa Ampong’s business plan for God’s Lanes, LLC, a startup e-commerce retail company offering faith-based athleisure apparel to Christian men and women, was judged the best plan and awarded $25,000 in a Maui Economic Opportunity Business Development Center contest....
FACEBOOK POSTS
Maui Economic Opportunity warns the public that some of its phone numbers are being spoofed by scammers.![]()
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Caller ID numbers are being manipulated to appear that the calls are coming from MEO, when in fact the calls are scammers. If the calls are answered, scammers will use scam scripts to try to steal money or valuable personal information, which can be used in fraudulent activity, the Federal Communication Commission website says.![]()
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MEO does not have a way to block spoofers. Clients of MEO could let calls go to voicemail or block the number and communicate by calling a legitimate MEO phone number themselves or using email. Numbers can be found on the MEO website, www.meoinc.org, or in the phone book.![]()
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Lt. Audra Sellers of the Maui Police Department Community Relations Section said that callers who receive a scam phone call can contact the department’s nonemergency number at (808) 244-6400 and dial 0 at the recording for the operator.![]()
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She also reminded those who receive spoofing calls not to provide any personal information. They also can report the scam to the Federal Communications Commission at consumercomplaints.fcc.gov/hc/en-us/requests/new?ticket_form_id=39744.![]()
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The FCC offered the following tips on spoofed calls.![]()
-Don’t answer calls from unknown numbers. If you answer such a call, hang up immediately.![]()
-If you answer the phone and the caller – or a recording – asks you to hit a button to stop getting the calls, you should just hang up. Scammers often use this trick to identify potential targets.![]()
-Do not respond to any questions, especially those that can be answered with “Yes” or “No.”![]()
-Never give out personal information, such as account numbers, Social Security numbers, mother’s maiden names, passwords or other identifying information in response to unexpected calls or if you are at all suspicious.![]()
-If you get an inquiry from someone who says they represent a company, a government agency or a nonprofit, hang up and call the phone number on your account statement or correspondence, in the phone book, or on the company’s or government agency’s website to verify the authenticity of the request. You will usually get a written statement in the mail before you get a phone call from a legitimate source, particularly if the caller is asking for a payment.![]()
-Use caution if you are being pressured for information immediately.![]()
-If you have a voicemail account with your phone service, be sure to set a password for it. Some voicemail services are preset to allow access if you call in from your own phone number. A hacker could spoof your home phone number and gain access to your voicemail if you do not set a password.![]()
-Talk to your phone company about call blocking tools and check into apps that you can download to your mobile device. The FCC allows phone companies to block robocalls by default based on reasonable analytics. More information about robocall blocking is available at www.fcc.gov/consumers/guides/stop-unwanted-robocalls-and-texts.![]()
-Remember to check your voicemail periodically to make sure you aren’t missing important calls and to clear out any spam calls that might fill your voicemail box to capacity.
Submit a request – FCC Complaints
consumercomplaints.fcc.gov
Web browsers supported: Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox, and Apple Safari (latest two versions) and Microsoft Edge (latest version only).
*Applications for Agricultural Micro Grant Program available*![]()
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Applications for the popular Agricultural Micro Grant Program 2.0 – which offers up to $25,000 in grants to Maui County small farmers and administered by Maui Economic Opportunity – are available beginning today, Oct. 14.![]()
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The $1.5 million Maui County-funded program is open to operating farms on less than 12 acres possessing a county business or state general excise license as of July 1, 2021. Preference will be given to women and Native Hawaiians.![]()
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The grants may be used to directly impact the availability of locally-grown produce, livestock and poultry and other related products. Grant money can be used for:![]()
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- Farming equipment and machinery.![]()
- Processing and storage equipment.![]()
- Farm infrastructure, expansion and upgrades.![]()
- Inventory and supplies.![]()
- Packaging and packaging materials.![]()
- Technology equipment.![]()
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The deadline to submit applications is Dec. 14, 2021.![]()
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The following documentation is required:![]()
- Completed application.![]()
- Farm needs statement.![]()
- Copy of original General Excise Tax License, G-45 or G-49.![]()
- Photo ID.![]()
- 2020 State Tax Return Form N-11 (proof of residency).![]()
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Farmers may apply on the MEO website at www.meoinc.org/agricultural-micro-grant-program or in-person at MEO’s Wailuku office, 99 Mahalani St.![]()
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For more information, contact the MEO Business Development Center by phone at (808) 249-2990 or by email at *bdcinfo@meoinc.org*.![]()
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A similar agriculture microgrant program, funded by Maui County and operated by MEO’s BDC in fall 2020 into spring 2021, funded more than 100 small farmers.![]()
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Katie Romanchuk of Ohialani Gardens in Haiku drives a new Kubota backhoe that was purchased with a Maui County micro agricultural grant, administered by Maui Economic Opportunity. Agricultural Micro Grant Program 2.0 has begun accepting applications for a new round of farm grants.![]()
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*About Maui Economic Opportunity*![]()
Maui Economic Opportunity, Inc., is a nonprofit agency that’s part of the national Community Action Partnership network, whose goal is to help low income individuals and families and disenfranchised people help themselves and transform their lives. Chartered in 1965, MEO offers more than 40 programs that assist low income people, kupuna, youths, persons with disabilities, immigrants and other disenfranchised individuals. MEO runs the Human Services transportation program and the Maui Bus paratransit system and Head Start preschools, as well as programs that offer kupuna socialization and information; rent, mortgage and utility assistance; Spanish interpretation and translation; entrepreneurial and financial basics; inmate reintegration into the community after release; and youth anti-drinking, -bullying and -suicide prevention. For more information about the entire array of programs, visit www.meoinc.org or call (808) 249-2990.
REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL![]()
One 8-Passenger Accessible Gas Bus![]()
To Maui Economic Opportunity, Inc.(MEO)![]()
F.O.B MEO Baseyard![]()
3957 Hansen RD. Kahului, HI 96732![]()
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Invitation to Bid![]()
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Sealed proposals shall be received and time stamped by the administrative staff, MEO Administration, 99 Mahalani St. Wailuku, Maui, Hawaii, 96793, by 4:00 o’clock p.m. on November 15, 2021 and will then be publicly opened thereafter.![]()
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Click below
HUMAN_SERVICES_BID_FY-21-22_ SPECIFICATIONS_October-2021.pdf
drive.google.com
To enter the drawing for prizes at the Senior Fair, including a television (donated by Council Member Yuki Lei Sugimura), gift certificates to Maui businesses and Furry Friends (the Maui County Office on Aging), please fill out the form by noon Oct. 20th. One entry per person.
*U.S. Rep. Kai Kahele given a tour of MEO*![]()
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U.S. Rep. Kai Kahele toured Maui Economic Opportunity’s Wailuku offices Monday, Oct. 11, meeting staff, learning about programs offered by the nonprofit agency whose mission is to alleviate poverty, discussing the need for affordable child care for young families, hearing aids for kupuna and the spending bills being hammered out in Congress.![]()
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While visiting with Head Start staff, who provide preschool for low income families, he talked about cleaning classrooms at a Punana Leo Hawaiian immersion school his child attended, as all parents were required to, and the high cost of child care. On the issue of hearing aids for kupuna, CEO Debbie Cabebe noted that MEO has a program that helps defray costs of hearing aids and other medical needs of those in need.![]()
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The nonprofit agency that provides a wide array of assistance from rental support to operating the Maui Bus paratransit system was one of many site visits the 2nd Congressional District Representative made during his visit to Maui, which included Space Force atop Haleakala, Kahului Airport and Mayor Michael Victorino’s office. He mentioned that the visits were part of his preparations for the next budget appropriations.![]()
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He also had time to take his family on a helicopter ride and to the beach.![]()
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Kahele was accompanied by state Sen. Gil Keith-Agaran.