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Monday 7:45am - 4:30pm Tuesday 7:45am - 4:30pm Wednesday 7:45am - 4:30pm Thursday 7:45am - 4:30pm Friday 7:45am - 4:30pm

MEO Lanai, 1144 Ilima Avenue, Ste 102, Lanai City, HI (2026)

03/16/2026

Maui Economic Opportunity Maui Bus paratransit and partial Human Services operations for dialysis and essential medical appointments only on Moloka`i, Lāna`i and Maui, except for East Maui, will resume Monday, March 16.

MEO buses in Hana will run again when the town reopens and the roads are deemed safe.

Impacts from the Kona storm shut down MEO’s Human Services and Maui Bus paratransit services on Saturday, March 14, and MEO buses were not running today.

MEO buses did provide emergency transport today in coordination with the Maui County Department of Transportation and Maui Emergency Management Agency.

“Rider and driver safety are the priority,” said MEO CEO Debbie Cabebe. “We must ensure passage is staff before resuming full operations.”

MEO Transportation in Puunene can be reached at (808) 877-7651, on Moloka`i at (808) 553-3218 and on Lana`i at (808) 565-6665.
MEO offices in Wailuku, Kaunakakai, Moloka`i, and Lāna`i City will be open Monday, March 16, after closing Friday, March 13, due to the Kona storm. The Hana office will remain closed until buses begin running again.

All MEO Head Start preschool centers are closed this week for Spring Break.

Caption:
An MEO bus drops off kupuna at the Grand Wailea on July 26 for the Kupuna Aloha Luncheon. MEO Maui Bus paratransit and partial Human Services operations will resume Monday, March 16.

03/14/2026

Maui Economic Opportunity will be suspending transportation services today, March 14, due to hazardous road conditions caused by the strong Kona storm overnight.

The decision to halt The Maui Bus paratransit and Human Service operations on Maui (including East Maui), Moloka`i and Lāna`i was made in consultation with the Maui County Department of Transportation.

MEO will advise the public when service is restored.

MEO apologizes for any inconvenience to riders.

Caption:
Maui Economic Opportunity bus service is suspended today, March 14, due to hazardous road conditions. An MEO bus is shown in the Maui County Fair Parade on Oct. 2.

03/13/2026

Maui Economic Opportunity will be closing its Wailuku, Hana, Kaunakakai, Moloka`i, and Lāna`i City offices and Head Start preschools Friday, March 13, due to the fierce wind and rain forecast from the powerful Kona storm.

Maui Bus paratransit service, operated by MEO, and Human Services transportation will continue operating and will provide essential and emergency evacuation services as needed.

For the safety of clients and staff, riders are strongly encouraged to stay home unless travel is necessary for their health or safety and to cancel any scheduled rides that will not be taken.

MEO Transportation can be reached at (808) 877-7651.

MEO offices countywide will close promptly at 4:30 p.m. today, March 12, to allow staff to get home safely and be off the roads during a calm in the Kona storm.

MEO apologizes for any inconvenience to the public.

04/09/2025

MEO Lanai Branch Manager Rose Ancheta testified at council budget hearings on Lanai.
Thank you Yuki Lei Sugimura for this photo and support of you and the council for MEO programs on Lana’i and throughout the county!

01/15/2025

The 60-year-old Maui Economic Opportunity is the only Community Action Agency in the state that assists residents on multiple islands, including Lana‘i.

As MEO celebrates its birth on March 22, 1965, the poverty fighting CAA, one of four in Hawai‘i, this week highlights current programs and the history of supporting people in need on Lana‘i.

MEO has offices in Kaunakakai, Hana and Lana‘i City. These offices operate most of MEO’s 30 programs, including rental, utility, employment, food surplus distribution and transportation.

MEO Lana‘i at 1144 Ilima Ave., No. 102, assisted 281 residents in 2023-24. The 3-person office is led by Rose Jane Ancheta, a Lana‘i High graduate, who joined MEO as branch manager in 2022. She has a background in health care on the island and serves as MEO’s community liaison, identifying the island’s needs.

MEO’s second executive director, Joseph Souki, in the late 1960s and early 1970s identified child care as a major need on Lana‘i and opened Lana‘i Day Care for 3 and 4 year olds. Paul Pladera, the third executive director, set up a Head Start program on the island.

But as other options emerged MEO gradually ceded the responsibility for child care to other organizations. This is part of MEO’s way, to identify a need, develop programs to tackle it, and give way and not compete for resources when others provide the same service.

When MEO was born, the island’s main industry was pineapple, and MEO supported farmworkers. Dole/Castle & Cooke shut down pineapple operations in 1992 amid increasing international competition, and MEO was there to assist workers during the difficult transition of the island’s economy to tourism.

In the Lana‘i Community Plan drafted in 2015, MEO is cited several times, charged with developing entrepreneurship with training and loans and workforce development education and providing transportation.

Ownership of the vast majority of the island shifted to Oracle’s Larry Ellison in 2012, and MEO has been working and coordinating with his Pulama Lana‘i team to assist residents.

Transportation, rent and utility assistance and food surplus distribution are the mainstays of MEO Lana‘i. MEO buses take residents to health and dialysis appointments, to the airport and the harbor and other events and activities.

In the late 2010s, MEO began operating a shopping shuttle to Maui for residents due to the limited options on Lana‘i. MEO arranges for bus transport to Manele Small Boat Harbor, ferry service on Expeditions, bus transport on Maui and back – for 10 residents at no cost. Since the wildfires, the Lana‘i Shopping Shuttle operates through Maalaea Small Boat Harbor and transports residents to Costco, Walmart, Queen Ka‘ahumanu Center, banks and other destinations.

MEO’s Hana and Lana‘i branches often work together to get youth to sporting events and other home-and-home activities.

“Lana‘i is part of the MEO ‘ohana,” said MEO CEO Debbie Cabebe. “We look forward to continuing to fulfill the needs of residents, hopefully for another 60 years.”

For more information about MEO’s Lana‘i office, call (808) 565-6665.

06/26/2024

Maui Economic Opportunity will be assisting Lāna‘i residents who are customers of First Hawaiian Bank by adding a stop at the bank’s Kahului Branch to the weekly Lāna‘i Shopping Shuttle to Maui. The bank will be closing its Lāna‘i Branch at 644 Lāna‘i Ave. on Friday, June 28, and the shopping shuttle is one of the options offered for banking customers on the island.

“We are pleased to expand our service to include a stop at First Hawaiian Bank’s Kahului Branch, ensuring uninterrupted access for Lāna‘i residents seeking consistent banking services beyond mobile and digital options,” said MEO Chief Executive Officer Debbie Cabebe.

Every Tuesday, MEO coordinates the Shopping Shuttle for 10 kupuna and other Lāna‘i residents. MEO Lāna‘i transports residents to Manele Small Boat Harbor for an 8:30 a.m. departure to Ma‘alaea Small Boat Harbor on the Expeditions Ferry. MEO Maui buses pick up Lāna‘i residents at 9:15 a.m. and take them to Walmart, Costco, The Maui Mall, Queen Ka‘ahumanu Center and other destinations.

First Hawaiian Bank Kahului Branch, 20 W. Ka‘ahumanu Ave., has been a shopping shuttle stop since April 16. The group returns to Ma‘alaea harbor at 2:45 p.m. for a 3:30 p.m. ferry departure. MEO Lāna‘i picks up residents at Manele harbor and transports them home. To make reservations, call (808) 553-3216. Ridership is based on a first-come, first-served basis.

The shuttle is funded by the County of Maui.

“First Hawaiian Bank appreciates the opportunity to partner with MEO to provide Kahului branch access to our Lāna‘i customers who appreciate in branch support. This solution gives our Lāna‘i kupuna a convenient opportunity to visit our Kahului branch during routine shopping visits on Maui,” added First Hawaiian Bank Senior Vice President Lisa Tomihama.

As an additional banking option, an ATM machine was installed at Lāna‘i Federal Credit Union, 816 Ilima Ave., for no fee cash withdrawals 24/7. First Hawaiian Bank staff also are working with customers, especially kupuna, on online banking options.

05/30/2024

Maui Economic Opportunity is seeking to retain Lana‘i representation on the Board of Directors and is soliciting a community organization to take a seat on the policy-making entity of the 59-year-old Community Action Agency.

The current seat is held by the Lana‘i Kupuna Council, which is relinquishing its Resident Sector seat on the MEO board. The 21-member tripartite board consists of representatives of the Resident, Government and Business sectors.

Interested organizations must be representative of the community and formally organized with bylaws and officers. The organization would elect an individual to represent them on the board.

The board member selected may attend most meetings by Zoom, though there may be as many as two in-person meetings on Maui with MEO covering transportation costs. Terms are for three years with the option of serving two additional three-year terms.

The board’s role is to offer strategic leadership in defining and overseeing the implementation of MEO’s mission, vision and core values. With ultimate responsibility for the affairs of MEO, the board adopts policies to ensure stewardship and management of the agency.

One of the key roles of the board is to support the Chief Executive Officer, who runs MEO. Members offer their views and expertise on agency matters and serve as a liaison between the community and MEO. Members would be assigned to as many as two committees.

MEO has a Lana‘i office at 1144 Ilima Ave., #102, Lana‘i City, that offers transportation for residents and most MEO Community Services programs, including rental and utility assistance.

The nonprofit MEO is a Community Action Agency, formed as part of President Lyndon Johnson’s War on Poverty in the 1960s. MEO has grown to nearly 40 programs with paratransit/Human Services transportation and Head Start preschool being the largest.

To support those impacted by the Aug. 8 wildfires, MEO has been operating programs that offer rental/mortgage, utility, vehicle, clothing, school supply and business bridge grant assistance and temporary jobs in wildfire recovery that pay as much as $27 an hour.

Groups interested in joining the MEO Board should contact CEO Debbie Cabebe at (808) 243-4300 or [email protected]. For more information about MEO programs, call (808) 249-2990 or go to the website www.meoinc.org.

Caption: Maui Economic Opportunity Board Members (clockwise from left) Glenn Yamasaki, Ned Davis, Gemma Medina and Gabe Johnson and MEO Assistant Fiscal Officer Wil Torricer attended the board installation event on July 7, 2023, at MEO in Wailuku. MEO is looking for a Lana‘i organization to take a seat on the Board of Directors.

05/21/2024

Applications for the annual federally funded energy credit assistance program for low-income residents, who require help to pay their heating and cooling bills, will be accepted beginning June 1 via mail or in-person drop-offs through the month.

Maui Economic Opportunity helps administer the popular once-a-year program, which has been renamed Hawaii Home Energy Assistance Program or H-HEAP, in Maui County. The program had been commonly known as “LIHEAP.”

H-HEAP provides a credit on utility accounts based on income and number of people in the household with the state determining the total number to receive assistance.

MEO Community Services processes applications on Maui, Moloka‘i and Lana‘i and sends them to the state, which then distributes a credit line to applicants through Hawaiian Electric or Hawaii Gas. Some clients can make their credit last for longer than six months.

The deadline to drop off applications in-person at MEO offices in Wailuku, Hana, Lana‘i City and Kaunakakai, Moloka‘i, for the H-HEAP credit program is 4:30 p.m. Friday, June 28. Mailed applications have to be postmarked no later than Sunday, June 30.

Applications will not be accepted after the deadline. Emailed forms will not be accepted.

Applicants must submit their most recent electric bill for electric assistance and both an electric and gas bill for gas assistance, identification for all adult household members and Social Security numbers for all household members older than 1 year old and proof of citizenship, gross annual income and residence.

Applications for the program are available online at meoinc.org or may be picked up at MEO offices:

- Wailuku, 99 Mahalani St., (808) 249-2970.

- Hana, 1501 Uakea Road, by appointment only. (808) 248-8282.

- Moloka‘i, 380 Kolapa Place. (808) 565-6665.

- Lana‘i, 114 ‘Ilima Ave. #1022, Lanai City, by appointment only. (808) 565-6665.

Help with applications is available at these sites, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. weekdays (except for the Kamehameha Day holiday on June 11). Completed applications also may be dropped off at these locations by the deadline.

For more information, call (808) 249-2970.

This program is 100 percent federally funded with a total of $52,860.

01/24/2024

Maui Economic Opportunity Lāna‘i needs an on-call bus driver and someone to help distribute and deliver the monthly food surplus to residents in need to reduce the workload on the short-staffed branch.

The Passenger Assistance Technician position does not require a Commercial Driver’s License and pays $24 an hour. The position offers a minimum of one day a week of work with hours increasing to as much as 30 hours a week to cover vacations and illnesses.

The driver transports ambulatory and non-ambulatory riders from their residence to their destinations, which involves assisting riders in and out of their wheelchairs and with their packages and other items weighing up to 25 pounds.

On Lāna‘i, MEO operates the county’s Human Services Transportation, which provides rides from home to medical appointments, dialysis, employment, shopping and other activities for youth and kupuna. The service is offered at no charge to riders.

The Surplus Food Service Specialist position involves working one day a month for about five hours to help distribute and deliver surplus food.

The Maui Food Bank ships federal surplus food to Lāna‘i, which MEO distributes to the community usually on the third Thursday of the month. The timing of the shipment is dependent on the weather and the barge; this month’s shipment arrived on Saturday.

The position pays $17 an hour and involves receiving, organizing and distributing the surplus food; verifying client eligibility; and collecting client demographics for reporting purposes.

Other requirements include being able to handle/move items up to 100 pounds; interact and relate to children, families and persons with disabilities; and follow U.S. Department of Agriculture Commodity Supplemental Food Program rules.

Candidates interested in applying for the positions can contact MEO Lāna‘i Branch Manager Rose Ancheta by phone at (808) 565-6665 or email [email protected] or MEO Human Resources in Wailuku by phone at (808) 243-4310 or email at [email protected].

Caption: Maui Economic Opportunity of Lānaʻi provided transportation for the Kula Makaʻi no nā ʻŌpio o Lānaʻi, the Police Academy for the Youth of Lānaʻi, in June 2022. The buses took 10 youth and one adult director to the Manele Small Boat Harbor for the ferry to Maui and picked them up when they returned on the last ferry. MEO Lānaʻi is looking for an on-call driver.

01/10/2024

The PBS POV documentary “Wisdom Gone Wild,” which focuses on elderly dementia, will be shown at Akaku Maui Community Media in Kahului and at Maui Economic Opportunity’s Moloka‘i office and the Lanai Senior Center from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., Saturday, Jan. 27.

The film by Rea Tajiri is a “reflection on aging and transformation” and a woman with dementia who “reinvents herself,” the PBS POV description says. The filmmaker collaborates with her Nisei mother “as they confront the painful, curious reality of wisdom ‘gone wild’ in the shadows of dementia,” an Akaku flyer and PBS POV introduction.

In addition to the 1 hour and 10 minute documentary, there will be a panel discussion virtually and in-person that includes Heather Greenwood, University of Hawaii Extension Agent for Intergenerational and Aging Programs in Maui County; Kathleen Couch, program coordinator for Maui Adult Day Care Centers; and Rowena Dagdag-Andaya, Maui County Executive on Aging.

They will discuss issues facing Maui County’s aging community, the prevalence of dementia, caregiving challenges and the preservation of multicultural kupuna stories.

Akaku presents the film and panel discussion in partnership with MEO and Maui County Council Member Gabe Johnson.

To register, go to bit.ly/Wisdom-Gone-Wild.

There is no charge to attend the showings at Akaku, 333 Dairy Road, Suite No. 205, Kahului; MEO Moloka‘i, 380 Kolapa Place, Kaunakakai; and the Lana‘i Senior Center, hosted by MEO Lana‘i, at 309 Seventh St., Lana‘i City. Doors open at 9:30 a.m.

The livestream Zoom link will be sent by Monday, Jan. 22.

For more information, call (808) 871-5554 or email [email protected].

09/19/2023

Maui Economic Opportunity’s once-a-week Lana‘i Shopping Shuttle to Maui, which has been suspended since the Aug. 8 wildfires, will resume Tuesday, Oct. 3, with a few changes.

MEO Lana‘i will transport residents to Manele Small Boat Harbor for an 8:30 a.m. departure to Ma‘alaea Small Boat Harbor on the Expeditions Ferry. MEO Maui buses are scheduled to pick up Lana‘i residents at 9:15 a.m. and take them to Walmart, Costco, The Maui Mall and Queen Ka‘ahumanu Center. Some transfers will be allowed between destinations.

The group will be returned to Ma‘alaea harbor at 2:45 p.m. for a 3:30 p.m. ferry departure. MEO Lana‘i will pick up residents at Manele harbor and transport them home.

The shopping shuttle is limited to 10 residents with priority given to kupuna.

Prior to the Lahaina wildfire, the shopping shuttle arrived at the Lahaina Small Boat Harbor with the group taken to the Lahaina Gateway, the Lahaina Cannery Mall, Tamura's Fine Wine & Liquors and Island Grocery Depot.

In addition to the severe damage to Lahaina harbor, Expeditions lost its offices, records, backup parts and access to reserve vessels, the ferry website says.

The Lana‘i shuttle is the brainchild of former Council Member Riki Hokama, who held the Lanai residency seat. He recognized that shopping on the island was expensive and asked MEO to provide more opportunities for residents to access the shopping shuttle program. About five years ago, he secured $10,000 for the free service, which mostly goes to defray the ferry ticket costs. MEO utilizes its Human Services transportation grant.

For more information, contact MEO’s Lana‘i Branch at (808) 565-6665.

Caption
MEO Human Services buses will be transporting Lana‘i Shopping Shuttle passengers to and from the Manele and Ma‘alaea Small Boat Harbors beginning Oct. 3. The once weekly service had been suspended since the wildfires Aug. 8.

09/14/2023

Maui Economic Opportunity’s Lana‘i Branch Manager Rose Jane Ancheta and Transportation Dispatcher Leinaala Tuifua have been named Employees of the Month for June and July, respectively.

Rose, who has been the face of MEO for the last year and a half on Lana‘i, “loves her community and goes over and beyond to serve her people,” said Nani Duvauchelle, one of two individuals to nominate Rose.

She is out in the community, driving clients to their doctor, dentist or physical therapy appointments, delivering food door to door if necessary and helping residents fill out rental assistance applications, said Nani.

“Rose has shown the Lanai community how much of an asset she is,” said Rose’s other nominator, Transportation Director Patty Copperfield. “She is always willing to assist.

“She does so much for our agency with a smile and so much joy.”

Leinaala has been a dispatcher since Dec. 6, 2021. It is a difficult job, directing drivers to clients in need of rides and serving as a communication conduit between the driver and office.

“She is the most kind and respectful person I know,” said her nominator, who remained anonymous.

For being named Employee of the Month, Rose and Leinaala each earned a $150 check and an extra vacation day. They were honored at MEO’s General Staff meetings on July 28 and Aug. 25, respectively. Nani and Patty split $50 as Rose’s nominator.

MEO Lanai

03/16/2026

03/14/2026

03/13/2026

04/09/2025

01/15/2025

06/26/2024

05/30/2024

05/21/2024

01/24/2024

01/10/2024

09/19/2023

09/14/2023

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Monday	7:45am - 4:30pm
Tuesday	7:45am - 4:30pm
Wednesday	7:45am - 4:30pm
Thursday	7:45am - 4:30pm
Friday	7:45am - 4:30pm