This Maui Nonprofit Has Offered “Help and Hope” for 60 Years
Maui Economic Opportunity assists all ages with food, rent, transportation, preschool, employment and more.
Maui Economic Opportunity promises the people of Maui, Moloka‘i and Lāna‘i that “when life takes a bad turn and you are facing eviction, power disconnection, piles of debt, we will be here to offer help and hope,” says CEO Debbie Cabebe.
The nonprofit, celebrating its 60th anniversary this year, says its work touched 55,000 lives in the 2023–24 fiscal year, including more than 6,500 individuals and 700 businesses impacted by the wildfires of Aug. 8, 2023.
MEO’s services cover five areas: transportation, early childhood, community services, business development and youth services.
The mission is to “strengthen the community while helping people in need restore their hope, reach their potential and enrich their lives,” says Cabebe, who has been with MEO for 25 years, including eight as CEO.
“I enjoy working with our staff to meet the needs of our community, by helping people in need, helping empower them, to find better for them and their families.”
As examples of its work in the latest fiscal year, the nonprofit says, it provided:
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973 households with disaster-related rental assistance and helped 481 households avoid eviction and homelessness.
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More than 260,000 rides to work, medical appointments, shopping and other activities to over 5,300 low income and disadvantaged individuals by operating paratransit services under government contracts.
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Prevention programs that helped 1,400 youths avoid risky behaviors.
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Employment services that helped 378 people get jobs and 132 acquire industry credentials through training programs.
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Head Start preschool at no cost to 180 3- and 4-year-olds.
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Financial literacy skills to over 500 people through its Business Development Center programs.
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Fresh fruits and vegetables to 1,500 seniors.
MEO has a staff of nearly 250 and an annual budget of $39.2 million, but funding has always been a challenge.
“We’re funded heavily by the government – different arms of government – with all the different political requirements that come with that,” Cabebe says. Federal spending cuts by the Trump administration could eliminate some of that money, so MEO is looking for alternative ways to raise money.
