25 Year Tradition back in Action after Two-year Pandemic induced Hiatus.

Finance Factors Family fundraiser to support Ma’o Organic Farms hosted this past Friday.

Early morning on Friday 22nd Jul., over seventy office workers from a multitude of companies all located in the Finance Factors building on Bishop street buzzed around setting up canopy tents, cracking eggs, frying rice and slicing Kukui Portuguese sausage.

Despite the 4:30 a.m. start and swift change from office work, the Finance factor family company's 25th annual fundraiser was back after a two-year pandemic-induced hiatus. Starting in 1997, through the use of the Finance Factors Foundation, a charity or organisation is selected to donate the proceeds towards.

Above: Office workers from Finance factors make fried kimchee rice

“It was rough, the early morning start but a good opportunity for our business!” said nearby cafe owner Noelani Chung, “we provided coffee for the workers who came in; it worked out really well.”

Switching suits for aprons, members of the building collaborated and, from 7 am-12 am to provide a breakfast plate. The plate required an $8 donation, with one hundred per cent of the proceeds going to the chosen charity of the year - Ma’o Organic farms.

Ma’o, an acronym for Mala ‘ai ‘opio, which translates to “youth food garden,” is a social enterprise founded in 2000 by members of the Wai’anae community re-development corporation with the goal of focusing on community education, development, land restoration and cultural education.

Ma’o farms host various opportunities for the community, including programs such as “farm-to-fork” visits and internship positions available for students in both college and high school.

"We ended up being $12 thousand over our goal; we're very happy that it was a success," Joy Barua, Finance Insurance President and COO, said.

Although this year’s event is over, there is a multitude of ways to continue to support Ma’o farms, as their produce is available at the Kakkaako Farmers Market every Saturday alongside multiple supermarkets and restaurants featuring their produce.

For more access and information on supporting local businesses, please follow this link.