Harsh weather hit the Islands this past weekend, with another storm forecasted this week. Aloha State Daily has compiled a list of organizations and causes to consider giving to for assistance with recovery services and damages affecting community.
GoFundMe
Help couple that lost house on Maui
Tom and Carrie Bashaw lost their home in Wailuku. According to GoFundMe, “Donations will go toward immediate needs such as safe temporary housing, replacing essential belongings, debris removal, and beginning the process of rebuilding their lives.”
To donate and learn more, click here.
Help Waialua farmers rebuild
GoFundMe Organizer Kristy Kono said her family, who take care of 2.12 acres in Waialua, was “facing unimaginable loss.”
“Overnight, their farmland in Waialua went from knee-high water to neck-high, submerging about 40 acres and wiping out everything they had worked so hard to build,” she wrote. “Farming is not just their livelihood —it’s their passion and their only source of income. They have always grown just enough to meet their needs and serve local families, but now, everything they have steadily built is gone.”
Funds raised will go toward purchasing essential supplies and “help them get back on their feet and continue their mission of bringing fresh, local food to our island families.”
To donate and learn more, click here.
Separately, farmers who rent a 1-acre lot “lost everything – their crops, equipment and the materials they need to keep going," per GoFundMe.
“We understand that many people were also impacted by this flood, and our hearts go out to everyone,” wrote their daughter. “We appreciate all the love and support — every single penny is greatly appreciated. If you’re not able to help financially, sharing or praying will also be a huge help.”
To donate and learn more, click here.
Wahiawā resident’s heart for homeless
This GoFundMe will go toward homeless outreach efforts on Oʻahu. The organizer plans “to hand out warm foods, dry clothing, help with laundry expenses, provide tarps to keep belongings dry moving forward, etc.”
To donate and learn more, click here.
Support from Kentucky native
Former Kentucky resident Justin Richardson aims “to help offer immediate relief — shelter, food, and essential supplies — to those impacted by these terrible floods."
To donate and learn more, click here.
Food & Shelter
American Red Cross
On Saturday, Red Cross was “urgently” recruiting volunteers for the remaining shelters on Maui Lāna‘i, Molokai and the Big Island, per a March 15 statement from the organization. Volunteers provide safe shelter, food, water, disaster health services and emotional support.
To donate and learn more, click here.
The Salvation Army
The Salvation Army Hawaiian & Pacific Islands Division deployed its Emergency Disaster Services team, serving hundreds of meals to first responders and residents taking shelter over the weekend.
“As long as there is community need, we’ll be there,” said Maj. Troy Trimmer, divisional commander for The Salvation Army Hawaiian & Pacific Islands, in a Saturday statement. “Our corps officers, staff, and volunteers continue to stand alongside our first responders and community members needing assistance.”
To donate and learn more, click here.
Foodbank
Hawai‘i Foodbank works with a network of more than 250 hunger-relief partners on O‘ahu and Kaua‘i, along with affiliate food banks The Food Basket and Maui Food Bank, to provide food assistance to the state.
To donate and learn more, click here.
More resources on disaster preparedness are available at hawaiifoodbank.org/what-we-do/disaster-preparedness-hawaii.
EDITOR’S NOTE: This is not an exhaustive list. If we missed something that matters to you, please email us.
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Kelsey Kukaua Medeiros can be reached at kelsey@alohastatedaily.com.
