Hawaii Wildfire Relief Fund

Thank you for your generous donation to the Hawaii Wildfire Relief Fund. Your donation is already hard at work and making a difference, helping to support wildfire relief efforts in Hawaii. With your support, GlobalGiving made emergency grants today to four vetted nonprofit organizations on the front lines of the response. This is our first round of emergency grants in our long-term response, with more to come as needs change and emerge.

Even as Hawaii’s long road to recovery begins, response efforts are still underway. Officials report that the devastating fires are not yet fully extinguished, and search and rescue efforts for the more than 1,000 people still missing will continue. Loss of life has continued to mount this week, with more than 111 reported deaths in what is now deemed the deadliest wildfire in the United States in more than a century. It is estimated that thousands of homes have been destroyed, in addition to inestimable infrastructure damage and loss of livelihood.

Amid this tragedy, vetted GlobalGiving nonprofit partners are bringing hope. Here is a short description of some of the critical work your donation is already supporting: 

• Maui Mutual Aid Fund, led by Maui Rapid Response is a Hawaiian, hyper-local disaster response team made up of individuals from Maui Mutual Aid, Maui Strong, and a number of nonprofit and direct-aid organizations based in Hawaii. As a decentralized citizen collective, Maui Rapid Response’s Maui Mutual Aid Fund is driven entirely by community values and needs. The fund prioritizes direct emergency assistance to vulnerable Native Hawaiians and their families, with a focus on people with disabilities, people who are low income, or people with other vulnerabilities worsened by the devastating wildfires.

• Aloha Diaper Bank is a local Hawaiian-led organization providing essential goods such as diapers and formula throughout the Hawaiian Islands to families of low income, people who are homeless, and people in crisis, including those affected by the recent wildfires. As a result of this disaster, Aloha Diaper Bank is scaling up its services to offer water and fuel—both urgently needed goods to support families in this immediate emergency response phase. Aloha Diaper Bank assists hundreds of families with thousands of diapers and support annually and is preparing for a large-scale diaper distribution in Kaneohe, Maui this weekend.

• SBP leads disaster recovery efforts across the country to make vulnerable residents resilient to potential disasters and to rebuild for those who have survived disaster. With the support of GlobalGiving’s Hawaii Wildfire Relief Fund, SBP has confirmed that it will activate its Disaster Assistance Program. The program offers casework and support to help affected communities access the FEMA assistance offered to them. There is a critical need to connect resources with communities, particularly in Hawaii, where access to power and internet (necessary for beginning the FEMA application process) is still limited.

• Direct Relief is equipping first responders in Maui with medical aid for impacted communities. Its teams are supporting ongoing emergency medical needs among affected communities by mobilizing emergency medicines and medical supplies to areas with the most critical needs.

Your support of the GlobalGiving Hawaii Wildfire Relief Fund powers community-led relief and recovery, and it means that organizations like these and the communities they serve get the critical resources they need to rebuild after the devastating wildfires in Hawaii. 

Thank you again for standing with the people affected by the wildfires in Hawaii. As we continue our immediate and long-term support of our trusted nonprofit partners, we will share additional updates about the ongoing impact of your gift.

With gratitude, 

Amelia + the GlobalGiving Team