The Maui Strong Fund
Over the last week, Maui was devastated by catastrophic wildfires – with the death toll over 100 and still rising as rescue efforts are continuing.
Seeing the pictures from Maui took me back to our 2020 Labor Day fires here in Oregon, where I traveled 600 miles and never got out of the smoke, saw six towns burned to the ground, and sat with families who had to flee for their safety. It looked like the pictures of firebombed cities taken during World War II, and the damage in Lahaina is just as horrible.
When disaster strikes, we all need to come together to help respond. Thousands have suffered a terrible tragedy, losing their homes, their businesses, and their family keepsakes, and are left with nothing but the clothes they were wearing as they ran from the flames. For far too many, the tragedy runs even deeper, with friends and family members lost to the fires. So today I'm asking for help supporting the people of Maui.
In response to the deadly wildfires on Maui, The Hawai'i Community Foundation is providing resources for disaster response and recovery to support affected communities through the Maui Strong Fund.
The Maui Strong Fund is closely collaborating with state and county leaders, nonprofit organizations, and community members to get an understanding of the quickly evolving priorities. And it's going to be able to deploy financial resources quickly to aid in response and recovery efforts.
In this time of terrible disaster, I will be standing with the people of Hawai'i to get them all the help they need in every possible way. Thank you for standing with me.
Onward,
Jeff
