South Maui is often experienced through its beaches, sunshine, and easygoing coastal lifestyle…but there’s another side to being here that’s just as meaningful. Across Kihei and Wailea, there are countless ways to connect more deeply with the island through mālama, caring for the land, the ocean, and the community that makes this place home.

For residents and visitors alike, giving back isn’t separate from the Maui experience; it’s part of it. Whether you’re here for a week or a lifetime, there are meaningful ways to step in, connect, and contribute. Below are a few ways to get involved across Kihei and Wailea, with exactly how to start.

Aloha Backpack Buddies (Maui Food Bank)

Supporting local families often begins with something simple: access to food. The Aloha Backpack Buddies is one of Fairmont Kea Lani’s longest-standing volunteer opportunities and is a program that provides Maui schoolchildren with backpacks filled with nutritious, easy-to-prepare meals to take home over the weekend. These meals help bridge the gap for keiki who rely on school food programs during the week. While this isn’t a beachside volunteer experience, the impact is immediate and deeply personal. Contributions support food packing, coordination, and distribution, ensuring children have consistent access to meals at home.

How to get involved:

• Donate online directly through Maui Food Bank

• Volunteer at Maui Food Bank sorting and packing events

• Organize a small group or workplace donation drive

Why it matters:It’s one of the most direct ways to support Maui families, quiet, essential, and deeply impactful.

Rooted in Aloha (Reforestation Initiative)

Rooted in Aloha, a reforestation initiative created by Fairmont Kea Lani in partnership with Skyline Conservation and supported by Nā Koa Manu Conservation, invites both residents and visitors to play a direct role in restoring Maui’s native forests on the slopes of Haleakalā. While some conservation efforts are hands-on, Rooted in Aloha offers a different kind of connection, one rooted in long-term impact. Through your contribution, native trees like koa, sandalwood, and ʻōhiʻa are planted in carefully restored areas, alongside supporting species such as māmaki, maile, and hala pepe to encourage biodiversity and ecosystem health.

It’s the kind of experience where even if you’re not physically planting the tree yourself, you know exactly where your impact lives, on the slopes of Haleakalā, growing over time.

How to get involved:

• Donate when booking a stay at Fairmont Kea Lani or directly through their front desk

• Contribute online through the Rooted in Aloha program

• Choose a giving level:

• Sponsor a Tree ($30): Supports propagation, planting, and long-term care of one native tree

• Sponsor a Grove ($500): Supports the planting and care of ~17 canopy trees

• Sponsor an Acre ($5,000): Helps fund conservation fencing to protect native habitat

Why it matters:

Each contribution helps restore Maui’s watershed, protect endangered forest birds and insects, and rebuild ecosystems that have been impacted over time. It’s a simple, accessible way to give back, whether you’re visiting for a few days or calling Maui home. In a place where the landscape shapes everything, supporting its restoration is one of the most meaningful ways to stay connected long after your visit ends.

Hawaiʻi Wildlife Fund (South Maui Conservation)

South Maui’s coastline is one of the most active areas for hands-on conservation. Hawaiʻi Wildlife Fund offers several ways to engage, depending on your time and interest.

Turtle Fence Repair & Dune Restoration

Volunteer days take place along coastal areas like Kealīa Pond. You’ll help repair protective fencing for nesting turtles, remove invasive plants, and restore sand dunes that act as critical habitat. Expect a few hours outdoors, working alongside a small group, with guidance from conservation staff.

How to get involved:

• Register for volunteer days through Hawaiʻi Wildlife Fund

• Sign up in advance (spaces can be limited)

• Bring water, sun protection, and closed-toe shoes

Why it matters:Healthy dunes and protected nesting areas are essential to the survival of native marine species.

Hawksbill Recovery: Nest Watch

One of the most unique volunteer experiences on Maui. Nest watch involves overnight observation of nesting areas during hawksbill turtle season. You may spend hours under the stars, listening to the ocean, waiting quietly. It’s slow, patient, and deeply peaceful.

How to get involved:

• Apply through Hawaiʻi Wildlife Fund

• Complete required training or orientation

• Be available for late-night or overnight shifts

Why it matters:Hawksbill turtles are critically endangered. Monitoring nests helps protect them and improve hatchling survival rates.

Hawksbill Turtle Recovery: Dawn & Night Patrols

Volunteers walk designated beaches at sunrise or after sunset, looking for turtle tracks, nests, or hatchling activity. Some mornings are quiet. Others offer rare moments of discovery and documentation.

How to get involved:

• Sign up for patrol shifts

• Attend orientation if required

• Commit to a specific time window

Why it matters:These patrols are essential for tracking and protecting nesting activity in real time.

Maui Fishpond Association (Kō‘ie‘ie Fishpond)

In North Kihei, giving back connects directly to Hawaiian culture and history. The Maui Fishpond Association is dedicated to revitalizing Kō‘ie‘ie Fishpond, an ancient Hawaiian aquaculture system that once sustained entire communities. Workdays are hands-on and collaborative. Volunteers enter shallow ocean water, walking carefully across uneven, rocky surfaces to collect and pass stones. Together, groups rebuild sections of the fishpond wall, lifting, placing, and aligning rocks with intention.

The pace is steady and communal. There’s often storytelling, cultural context, and a strong sense of connection among participants. As the Hawaiian proverb says: “ʻAʻohe hana nui ke alu ʻia”—no task is too big when done together.

How to get involved:

• Register for community workdays (typically scheduled in advance)

• Be prepared to lift 20+ pounds and work in shallow ocean conditions

• Volunteers must generally be 14+ and physically able to navigate uneven terrain

• Saturday community workdays (like 9–11 a.m.) focus on rebuilding sections of the wall by hand.

Why it matters:This is cultural preservation in action, supporting traditional Hawaiian practices while strengthening community connection.

Redline Rafting: DIY Mālama Hawaiʻi

Giving back can also be spontaneous, flexible, and built into your day. Redline Rafting has created a simple, accessible way for both visitors and residents to participate in mālama Hawaiʻi through self-guided cleanup efforts. Start your morning at the Kihei Boat Ramp, grab a reusable tote and trash grabber, and head out. Maybe it’s a beach walk, a park visit, or even along the roadside. Wherever you go, you’re actively caring for the island. Once your bag is full, snap a photo, return the tools, and you’re done.

How to get involved:

• Stop by the Kihei Boat Ramp (2800 S. Kihei Road) between 6 a.m. – 12 p.m.

• Look for gray trucks labeled “Mālama Hawaiʻi”

• Grab a tote bag and trash grabber (DIY, no sign-up needed)

• Clean up any area you choose

• Return supplies to the truck when finished

Bonus:

• Tag @redlinerafting with #malamahawaii

• Receive 5% off snorkeling tours + potential hotel perks

Why it matters:It removes the barrier to entry. Anyone can participate, anytime, and every bag collected makes a difference.

Giving back in Kihei and Wailea isn’t about adding something extra to your itinerary; it’s about experiencing Maui more fully. It’s the early morning beach cleanup before coffee. The quiet rhythm of rebuilding a fishpond wall. The stillness of watching the shoreline at night. Because here, the most meaningful way to experience Maui isn’t just to enjoy it, it’s to care for it.