The growing scope of the disaster on the Hawaiian island of Maui has many people in Michiana wondering how they can help.
As with all things, there are going to be scammers looking to take advantage of the disaster by leading people to fake donation resources.
The wildfire is the deadliest natural disaster on the island since 1960, when 61 people were killed by a tsunami.
The following are trusted resources that will get your contributions to the people and places that need them the most, or you can visit our MNC Donation Page:
The American Red Cross
Workers from the American Red Cross are in Hawaii opening shelters for residents and tourists. To make a donation, visit redcross.org, call 1-800-RED-CROSS (800-733-2767), or text the word RELIEF to 45364 to make a $10 donation.
The Hawai’i Community Foundation
The governor’s office has directed donors to the Hawai’i Community Foundation. The organization, which has already raised $1 million by Friday, is accepting donations through its Maui Strong Fund for fire victims. Contact Donor Services at donorservices@hcf-hawaii.org or (808) 566-5560 for further information.
https://www.hawaiicommunityfoundation.org/maui-strong
Maui United Way
The organization has set up a Maui Fire and Disaster Relief Donations Page to help victims. All donations are processed online.
https://mauiunitedway.org/disasterrelief
Maui Mutual Aid Fund
The Maui Mutual Aid Fund is accepting donations to help Maui families, older residents and people with disabilities assistance.
https://www.paypal.com/donate?hosted_button_id=Y7J26SYUJFQU8
Salvation Army
The Hawaiian and Pacific Islands Division of the Salvation Army is accepting donations to provide meals for thousands of displaced residents in Maui emergency shelters.
https://hawaii.salvationarmy.org/
Maui Humane Society
https://www.mauihumanesociety.org/donate-olx/
GoFundMe
GoFundMe has verified numerous fundraising efforts to help individual families and victims. Accounts are raising money for individuals who have lost their homes, the Hawaii Foodbank, and more. Some of the accounts are heartbreaking: They “fled their burning neighborhood with their 4 dogs and land turtle leaving behind the family guinea pigs and pet rabbits and all their belongings. They are safe and sheltering … but this beautiful family and their community have lost everything.”
