Upcountry Strong / Da Store

Upcountry Strong, Inc. is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization dedicated to providing support to those facing food insecurity in the Upcountry Maui community. We started as a small group of neighbors in Makawao who began holding food drives in March 2020 for the Kupuna at Hale Mahaolu Eha (senior housing). On a similar path, Pukalani Superette was also holding food distributions with Common Ground Collective through the public school system during that time. We all decided to join forces when we quickly realized that we are stronger together, thus Upcountry Strong was born. We utilize non-profit and private business resources to provide food to Upcountry residents in need. Through our partnership with Maui Food Bank, we are also able to respond to emergency food situations. When the August 8, 2023 wildfires devastated Maui, we expanded our original mission to include more broadly supporting the Upcountry community. This means that we now provide aid to those affected by the wildfires, both directly and indirectly (i.e., those displaced by the Upcountry fires, those Upcountry helping to house survivors of any of the fires, those Upcountry who lost jobs due to the fires). We supply items such as non-perishable food, fresh produce, bread, eggs, milk and paper products for the home. Upcountry Strong is not just a statement, it’s a movement. All kindness, compassion, and generosity shared, we see as part of the movement, because together we really are all Upcountry Strong.

Provide food to the food insecure. We have a food hub in Makawao.

Open:   Wednesday's noon to 2:00 and Saturday's 10:00 to 1:00.  Clients can come once a week. We are a small space and seeking volunteers who would consider agreeing to being on a schedule. No walk-in Volunteers.