The sounds of Hoa ‘Aina o Makaha are the voices of students, tucking seeds into the soil with a gentle “good night” or giggling as they chase wayward chicks.

Generations of children have come through “The Farm,” a peaceful, 5-acre plot where they learn to care for plants and animals as well as each other. Its mission is to cultivate not just the land, but the health of the community as a whole.

“Everything we do at Hoa ‘Aina o Makaha we want to connect to the children, and we want it to connect with their families and we want it to connect with the community,” said Ku‘uleilani Samson, 28, program coordinator at the educational nonprofit, who first set foot there as a child herself.

All 538 students at Makaha Elementary School, which abuts the farm, spend time in their “outdoor classroom” every week. They raise thousands of pounds of vegetables, offered free to people in need. They sprout seedlings so neighbors can start their own gardens. Students from more than a dozen public and private schools also come to pitch in and learn, alongside volunteers and visitors from overseas.

A year ago the future of the whole operation was in doubt. Hoa ‘Aina’s landlord, the Roman Catholic Diocese of Honolulu, wanted to sell the property. And the $1.4 million price tag was far beyond the reach of the bootstrap nonprofit, which has just four full-time and four part-time staff.

But Hoa ‘Aina’s commitment to community paid off when the Waianae Coast Comprehensive Health Center agreed to buy the land, through a subsidiary, in a $1.25 million deal that closed in July.

“It was like a resurrection for us,” said the farm’s founder, Luigi “Gigi” Cocquio, tossing his hands upward in gratitude.

On Saturday the Makaha farm will mark its 40th anniversary and new lease on life with an open house from 1 to 4 p.m. Leaders of the health center say Hoa ‘Aina’s mission dovetails with their own.

“Being a community organization, we’ve grown to do a lot of wellness and prevention, not only when people need acute care, but also to prevent disease,” said Nick Hughey, chief operating officer. “The empirical studies say the earlier you start, the better. We see this program, with their focus on early childhood, as really being critical.”

The farm and learning center evolved step by step. Back in 1979, when Cocquio first arrived, scrubby brush covered the land.

“The bishop kept asking, ‘But what’s your plan?’” Cocquio remembers with a mischievous look. The former priest confesses he didn’t have one. He just began planting, starting with lettuce and tomatoes. The community stepped up to help.

“To me, it’s not how you plan, it’s how you plant and what you plant,” he said. “This garden, it’s planting seeds everywhere. That’s our motto, planting seeds of hope. One seed at a time.”

The curriculum at Ho ‘Aina varies as children grow. They learn about life cycles of plants and animals, tending to chickens, tilapia and bees. The kids plant a pollinating garden and raise veggies like beets and won bok. They do basic carpentry, building “bee hotels,” and learn aquaponics and alternative energy with solar ovens. But just as important, they forge relationships.

Xzavier Malaki, a tall sixth-grader who has been coming to the farm since kindergarten, has dreams of playing in the NFL. But when he talks about the farm, he reveals a gentler side.

“The farm makes me feel, like, blessed because we get to share our thoughts and emotions,” he said. “One of my classmates, they barely talk in class, but when they come out to the farm, they start sharing how they feel.

“Our motto is whatever we grow we have to give back to the community,” he added. “We take it to the farmers market, and we give it to people for free.”

Keoni Ford, 38, also got his first taste of science at Hoa ‘Aina as a kid at Makaha Elementary. Today he is vice chairman of its board and heads his own company, a dry-ice blasting service that does industrial cleaning without harsh chemicals.

“Fifty percent of our science program was learning by feel, touch, experience here at the farm,” he said. “The children are the most critical aspect because you get the whole family involved. And the friendships are as deep as some of the roots of these trees which we planted.”

OPEN HOUSE

>> What: Hoa ‘Aina o Makaha 40th Anniversary Open House

>> When: 1-4 p.m. Saturday

>> Where: 84-766 Lahaina St., Makaha