Here are places you can donate money to help the those displaced by the Lahaina firestorm:
- Maui Strong Fund is organized by the Hawaii Community Foundation.
- Maui Food Bank is collecting and distributing food to those in need.
- Maui Rapid Response is a collective of several aid organizations.
- Maui Humane Association helps injured and lost animals in the fire.
- Council for Native Hawaiian Advancement’s Kākoʻo Maui Fund has created a drive where donations will be matched.
- Maui United Way is a well-known organization serving underserved communities.
- World Central Kitchen provides meals in areas hit by disasters.
- One Ohana Collective, a group of businesses and entertainers from LA's South Bay, is raising money to give to the Maui Strong Foundation.
This week, donors who dropped off supplies at Aunty Maile’s Hawaiian Restaurant in Torrance and the International Longshore and Warehouse Union (ILWU) hall in Wilmington filled at least 13 shipping containers for survivors in the fire-decimated town of Lahaina on the island of Maui.
Kai Tsukiyama, the owner of Aunty Maile’s Hawaiian Restaurant, says he’s been humbled by the support, but is asking people not to collect any more. The restaurant will accept what people already have collected until 8 p.m. on August 16, but they have to put the donations into storage so they don’t overwhelm volunteers in Maui.
Tsukiyama and others are also organizing a benefit event September 3 at the Gardena Valley Japanese Cultural Institute. Expect food from local restaurants, music, and hula dancing. All proceeds will go to an organization supporting those who lost their homes in the Lahaina fire. The restaurant plans to post more information as it becomes available on its website and Instagram page.