Hua Momona FoundationClient Information
2 September, 2026Print
The Hua Momona Foundation Launches Rain to Resilience Program, Bringing Rain Catchment Systems to 120 West Maui Households
Marks 100,000 Meals Served through Farm to Table Program, Following RISE Maui and the Maui Music & Food ExperienceDonate To The Hua Momona Foundation HERE
Wednesday, September 2nd: Today, the Hua Momona Foundation, a nonprofit spearheading recovery and long-term resilience efforts following the 2023 Lahaina wildfires, officially announces the Rain to Resilience (R2R) program, an initiative providing 120 West Maui households with hands-on training and equipment to install rain catchment systems at their homes through a grant from the Hawaii Community Foundation.
These renter-friendly, portable rain-catchment systems are designed to foster backyard food production and mitigate stress on freshwater systems, aligning with County and MEFT recovery recommendations.
After completing a four-week workshop, households are outfitted with $0-cost catchment kits consisting of rain barrels, irrigation components, detailed instruction manuals, soil amendments, and planting materials. Unlike permanent underground irrigation systems, these modular systems can be dismantled and reinstalled if relocation becomes necessary, as many Maui County residents recover from the 2023 wildfire.
Rain to Resilience launches under The Lahaina Innovation & Arts Center (LIAC), a community-centered initiative of HMF created to bring inventors, artists, educators, entrepreneurs, students, and community partners together to exchange knowledge and develop ideas that can benefit Maui County and Hawaiʻi.
HMF also marked another major milestone this July, surpassing 30 tons of produce distributed and 100,000 hot, ready-to-eat meals served to Maui County residents through its Farm to Table (F2T) program since August 8, 2023. In partnership with Hua Momona Farms, the program supports Maui’s local food system by donating fresh produce, working with partner farms, coordinating volunteers, and preparing and distributing hot meals at community distribution points.
Courtesy of the Hua Momona Foundation
Another initiative of HMF and LIAC is the Hua Momona Youth Programs, including a music program which has welcomed approximately 43 young Maui musicians across two cohorts, with an average of 10 participants joining each week. The program connects participants with renowned artists, including Billy Cox, Bernard Fowler, Darryl Jones, and John Cruz, who provide mentorship and help foster the next generation of Maui-based musicians.
The foundation also just wrapped the inaugural RISE Maui: Regeneration, Innovation, and Sustainability Experience (August 17–21) and third annual Maui Music & Food Experience (MMFE) (August 21–22) at Hyatt Regency Maui Resort and Spa, bringing innovators, cultural leaders, musicians, chefs and the Maui community together for a week centered around sustainability, creativity and aloha.
RISE Maui highlights included a keynote from AI and climate expert Dr. Sasha Luccioni; an innovation conversation co-moderated by Star Trek Executive Producer Rod Roddenberry and HMF founder Gary Grube; discussions featuring inventor Jason Resch, Tufts University Professor Matthias Scheutz, Hawaiian cultural expert W. Kamaunu Kahaialii, UMass Amherst Professor Jun Yao and others. HMF offered RISE Maui fellowships, which provided complimentary summit access to individuals whose work demonstrates a commitment to regeneration, innovation, and sustainability. This year’s fellows include Suntana Villanueva, a Native Hawaiian farmer advancing regenerative agriculture and local food security, and Prof. Alan Tratner, a longtime environmental innovator, inventor, and educator who helped establish Earth Day.
The MMFE lineup featured 3 Pounds of Kalo, John Cruz, Taimane, LOS LOBOS and more, alongside a culinary program celebrating the flavors of the islands, curated by Hua Momona Farms’ Chef Zach Laidlaw and featuring Maui-born chefs Taylor Ponte of Aurum, Alvin Savella of Coco Deck, and more.
Together, the events welcomed 1,200 guests and raised $150,000 to support HMF’s ongoing work across Maui.
Individuals may support the Hua Momona Foundation by donating HERE
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ABOUT HUA MOMONA FOUNDATION
Hua Momona Foundation was established to serve Maui’s most vulnerable communities. The Foundation’s mission is to enhance nourishment and resilience through education, technological innovation, and paʻahana, hands-on work to mālama ʻāina, alongside Maui’s farmers and youth across every moku. Following the August 2023 Lahaina wildfires, the Foundation played a central role in emergency response efforts, delivering approximately 100,000 hot, ready meals to impacted residents and first responders. In parallel, Hua Momona Farms sustained local food production and distribution, delivering more than 30 tons of farm boxes since 2020, including 100–150 boxes per week to unsheltered individuals through Maui Rapid Response.
About Hyatt Regency Maui Resort and Spa:
Hyatt Regency Maui Resort and Spa is a AAA Four Diamond-rated hotel offering everything desired for an unforgettable getaway in paradise. Ideally situated on 40 oceanfront acres on world famous Ka‘anapali Beach, voted “#1 Beach in the U.S. Traveler’s Choice” by TripAdvisor and ranked in the top 10 of the 2025 Conde Nast Traveler Readers’ Choice Awards “Top 25 Resorts in Hawaii”, this resort features an expansive open-air atrium lobby, three towers, and 810 re-imagined guestrooms, including 31 suites. Each guestroom is well-appointed with authentic Hawaiian touches, elegant furnishings, modern finishes, open closets, and private balconies with glass railings to enjoy breathtaking views of the Pacific Ocean and west Maui sunsets. This LEED-EBOM Gold Certified resort is a standout in world class hospitality and truly offers something for everyone: rooftop astronomy program; beachfront free-form pool with a 150-foot lava tube water slide; children’s splash pool; oceanfront daybeds and cabanas, beach activities; manicured tropical grounds; daily Hawaiian cultural activities; wildlife tours and penguin presentations; pickleball; championship golf; 100,000 square feet of event space for meetings or destination weddings; retail boutiques; 24-hour fitness center; daily outdoor yoga and fitness classes; Maui’s only oceanfront full-service spa and salon; live entertainment including the on-site Drums of the Pacific Lu‘au; and ten food and beverage offerings, such as the award-winning restaurant Japengo. Follow Hyatt Regency Maui on Facebook and Instagram, as well as Japengo.
HUA MOMONA FOUNDATION ONLINE
MAUI MUSIC AND FOOD EXPERIENCE ONLINE:
FOR MORE INFO, PLEASE CONTACT MIKAELA DUHS AT
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