The news of the Lahaina Wildfires is truly devastating to all of us who consider Maui a second home. But to those who call Lahaina and Maui their first home, or only home, the fires will be seriously life-changing. With 111 deaths (and counting), Hundreds missing, and hundreds of buildings razed to the ground, over 80% of the town…GONE. The impact will be felt forever.
Maui will never be the same again, but for those living this nightmare right now, they really need our help. Hawaii is about Ohana, and sometimes that can feel a little conceptual, but right now it needs to be very real. For most people actually helping will not be on the agender, we can’t get over there and actually lend a hand just now due to the burden on resources. However, there are plenty of ways we can still help, not least by donating a little money to the people and organizations on the ground doing the work right now.
WARNING – Disasters like this bring out the best in people, but they also bring out the worst of humanity. Many scam Sites pop-up and fake Go-Fund-Me pages appear. It can be really hard to know you are sending money to the right pace and not a Scammer.
The Charities we promote here were all operating well before the Fires and are directing money directly where it’s needed. There are other ways to help, but we are confident any donations the following will help with direct aid for the community’s animals and rescue workers on the Island of Maui and help build up the recovery effort.
Note – We are not directly affiliated with these charities but have done due diligence to ensure donations to these organizations will reach those in need.
Maui Humane Society
We, humans, are only one of the victims of disasters like this, there will be hundreds of Animal casualties as well. The Mai Humane Society is there to help look after any injured or displaced animals on the Island right now.
They are looking for temporary and permanent foster carers and any money you can donate will go a long way.
Hawaiian Council – www.hawaiiancouncil.org
This is a Matched Donation fund that initially targeted $100,000 which was smashed, then $250,000 which is nearly there too, and the best thing about the fund is every $1 is being matched so your donation is essentially doubled!
The main aim of this fund will be to get people and businesses back on their feet as soon as possible once the Re-Build commences.
Hawaii Community Fund – Maui Strong Fund
The Hawaii Community Fund raised over $ 1 million in a few hours after launching and is now up to $34,994,856+ and seems to be the largest fund that is taking donations. The fund will be used for assisting displaced Locals and businesses to get back on their feet once the initial disaster has dissipated.
Maui Food Bank
With so many Homeless and Jobless there are going to be issues with food and food distribution in the coming months. The Maui Food Bank has been doing a tremendous job of getting food to those in need, and this is going to be needed more and more in the coming weeks and months.
Remember a food bank can often use money far more efficiently than food donations as they can buy in bulk at discounts and source the food people really need!
The Salvation Army
The Salvation Army is actively providing food and resources to evacuees affected by the Hawaii wildfires. The Compassion and care the Salvation Army provides are always astonishing but they are going to be needed every strongly in the coming days and weeks. These guys will be on the ground providing help and assistance.
Small Funds
Another great way to really help is to donate to the smaller funds set up by various companies in Maui. If you have a favorite restaurant, sailing charter, dive company, etc… most of these companies have set up Go-Fund-Me funds to help assist their Staff, many of whom are now homeless. These sorts of donations really will go directly to the needy and will help people directly.
There are literally hundreds of these funds up and running and we only advise donating if you have been linked to the fund DIRECTLY. If you have a favorite business you want to help out, check them out on Social Media and see if they have a direct fund. DO NOT just donate to something because it sounds genuine, make sure it’s a real fund, and find out where the funds are going to
As there are so many of these small funds we can’t give you links to all these, however, if you have a favorite Business and want to know if they have a fund, drop us a comment (Below) and we can find out for you
Travel to Maui?
If you do have any immediate plans to Travel to West Maui in the coming weeks, cancel them. There is too high a burden on resources to welcome tourists just now (Aug 2023) and the recovery efforts in Lahaina are painstakingly slow.
If your trip is a little further out, still feel free to have a re-think. We really do not know what the next few weeks and months will bring, Maui is seriously hurting right now and may need time to recover. It might bounce back quicker than we think, but we just do not know yet.
If your trip is more November/December we would hold off making any decisions just yet. Officials already say that the rest of Maui is open and that only West Maui is closed. It is a very personal decision of whether you should still visit Maui right now with a lot of factors affecting each individual’s decision. The situation can change quickly so it’s important to keep up to date with any information about travel to Maui if you have a trip coming up.
Travel to Maui and Hawaii, is it safe to go to Maui Right Now?
