Thousands of people have lost their homes, businesses and jobs, in the devastation fires which ripped through the beautiful Hawaiian island of Maui.
Choose one of these charities to support with a donation to help victims with life-saving food, water, clothing and medical services, and start the rebuilding, including roads and power lines.
Hawaii-based charities first.
These charities are recommended by the local news organization Hawaii News Now.
Hawaii Food Bank is an excellent source of community assistance. The feed the hungry year-round and also provide emergency relief. In 2020, torrential storms and flash floods impacted many communities across Hawaii. Hawaii Food Bank is one of the non-profits that steps in during such disasters.
Salvation Army Hawaii says all money donated for disaster relief will go to disaster operations, Donations can be made at Hawaii.SalvationArmy.org.
‘Āina Momona is raising money through the Hawaii Community Foundation. For details, click here.
Aloha United Way has created the Maui Relief Fund that will go directly to efforts supporting victims of the fires. You can donate here.
Maui Food Bank is seeking monetary donations in efforts to feed thousands of displaced residents. Donations can be made here.
Maui Mutual Aid is seeking donations to support Maui families, kupuna, people with disabilities, and those with limited or no insurance. Donations can be made here.
Hawaii Community Foundation Maui Strong Fund will use donations to support Maui communities affected by recent fires, including response and recovery efforts. Donations can be made on their website.
The Hawaii Restaurant Association is organizing donations and volunteer efforts on Maui and for evacuees on Oahu.
Maui Humane Society is asking for donations to take in more displaced pets. Visit their website
Members of Hawaii’s sports community have also started fundraisers for those affected.
- ESPN Honolulu has also started a fundraiser on their Instagram account, click here for more information.
- MMA fighter and Oahu native Ilima-Lei MacFarlane started a fundraiser on her Instagram page.
Beware of Maui Charity Scams
Disasters like the Maui firestorm bring out the best in people – and the worst.
Beware of scammers trying to take advantage with fraudulent GoFundMe sites and fraudulent charities.
GoFundMe has a vetted page of vetted fundraiser for vetted victims.
Avoid any social media poster requesting direct payments through Paypal, Venmo or Zelle. They are most likely a scam.
National charities –
Each one of these charities has a four-star rating for financial performance and effectiveness from Charity Navigator, my go-to charity rating service, and each one lets you donate online in any amount you choose.
Every organization uses donations differently, so read their mission statement or visit their website to understand how your gifts to them will be used.
World Central Kitchen serves as many as 10,000 meals a day in disaster areas around the world, including to victims of the recent earthquakes in Turkey and Syria, and US victims of Hurricanes Katrina and Ian, and currently in Ukraine. Celebrity chef Jose Andres founded World Central Kitchen in 2010 the earthquake in Haiti, and has provided assistance around the world in response to emergencies.
Feeding America is a US-based nonprofit network of more than 200 food banks that feed more than 46 million people through food pantries, soup kitchens, shelters, and other community-based agencies.
Americares Hurricane Relief Fund is accepting online donations dedicated to hurricane victims. Americares is a non-profit disaster relief and global health organization providing immediate response to emergency medical needs and supporting long-term health care initiatives for people in the USA and around the world. Every $1 donated provides $20 in relief.
Save the Children is helping vulnerable children stay safe and providing relief to families who need it most.
Direct Relief provides life-saving emergency medical assistance.
American Red Cross is accepting donations online and via text while also looking for volunteers. Donations will be used to send supplies, open shelters and recruit volunteers.
Habitat for Humanity Hurricane Recovery Volunteer Registry is rebuilding homes that were destroyed. Donate, or volunteer.
Project HOPE is accepting money to fund teams on the ground to provide medical assistance.
Clean the World is providing vital personal hygiene kits, including soap and sanitizer products.
Direct Relief currently has a fund to provide Puerto Rico with mobile health facilities, emergency medicine, backup power, and more.
Global Giving is sending food, medicine and water to those affected by the disaster both in the Caribbean and the U.S.
PayPal Giving Fund is a licensed charity and will provide the donation receipt for your gift to one of the charities on its approved list. PayPal covers all transaction costs for donations made on this site, ensuring that 100% of each gift made is available to charity. We verify that charities receiving grants from PayPal Giving Fund have tax-exempt status with the IRS and are not on recognized economic sanctions lists.
- Unfortunately, it takes PayPal up to 45 days to transfer the money, which doesn’t help anybody or group in desparate need today.
The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals and the Best Friends Animal Society accept donations to care for pets abandoned or injured.
If you want to volunteer to help, these groups are requesting volunteers.
American Red Cross: https://www.redcross.org/volunteer/become-a-volunteer.html
Team Rubicon: https://teamrubiconusa.org/volunteer/
ToolBank USA: https://toolbank.org/get-engaged/#engage
ecoXplorer Evelyn Kanter is a journalist with 20+ years of experience as a newspaper and magazine writer, radio & TV news producer & reporter, and author of guidebooks and smartphone apps – all focusing on travel, automotive, the environment and your rights as a consumer.
ecoXplorer Evelyn Kanter currently serves as President of the International Motor Press Assn. (IMPA), a former Board Member of the Society of American Travel Writers (SATW) and a current member of the North American Travel Journalists Assn. (NATJA).
Contact me at evelyn@ecoxplorer.com.
Copyright (C) Evelyn Kanter
[…] Local charities in Hawaii are still accepting donations. […]