Maui's wildfires have killed more than 100 and displaced thousands. Here's how you can help
Charity experts stress that you should always vet an organization before giving.
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Volunteers load water onto a boat to be transported to West Maui from the Kihei boat landing on Aug. 13, 2023, in Kihei, Hawaii.
The wildfires that devastated Maui left residents rushing to help their neighbors with food, water, fuel and other desperately needed essentials.
Volunteers are distributing supplies to survivors as they wait for more official aid to arrive. Some groups are raising money for relief efforts, others are giving out food and other necessities or helping people and their pets.
The Maui fires are the deadliest in the U.S. in the last 100 years, and the death toll is still rising. Maui’s remote location has made the need for support even more dire.
Here are some organizations that are providing assistance. As always, experts recommend making sure a charity is legitimate before you donate and choosing groups that are well-established. You can find information about them on GuideStar and Charity Navigator.
The Council for Native Hawaiian Advancement is matching donations of up to $1.5 million and says that 100% of the proceeds will go to Maui organizations supporting relief efforts. It also provides a list of needed goods, including baby supplies, first aid, bedding and blankets and other items.
The Hawaii Community Foundation is seeking monetary donations for the Maui Strong Fund. Again 100% of the money will go toward community needs.
Maui United Way is seeking donations for fire disaster relief. It says it will provide direct relief to families and nonprofits affected by the fire.
GoFundMe has set up a page of Maui fire relief fundraisers that its team has verified. The fundraisers are for families and individuals who lost their homes and other belongings in the fire or who were otherwise affected. GoFundMe will add more fundraisers as they are verified.
The Maui Food Bank is looking for monetary donations as well donations of food and other supplies.
The Maui Humane Society is seeking donations as it rescues pets and provides pet supplies and emergency kits to shelters so that people and pets can stay together. Veterinarians and other professionals are volunteering at the shelters and other spots. Katie Shannon, the society's director of marketing and communications, said the most useful thing people on the continental U.S. can do is to give money. To help the Maui shelter, visit Clearthesheltersfund.org and search “Maui.”
The American Red Cross is raising money for its relief efforts. More than 200 of its trained disaster workers — from Maui, other Hawaiian islands and elsewhere in the country — are helping and others are on their way, it says. It has opened shelters, has been providing disaster supplies to evacuees and will begin distributing relief supplies in the hardest hit areas when it is able.
Mercy Chefs, a Virginia-based organizations, is offering chef-prepared meals to residents, first responders and volunteers. It has served thousands of meals prepared with local fresh ingredients since arriving on Aug. 10. It is partnering with Citizen Church Maui and King’s Cathedral Maui.
Jose Andres’ World Central Kitchen also is on the ground in Maui providing food and water to evacuated residents, first responders and tourists. World Center Kitchen typically activates a network of local restaurants, food trucks and emergency kitchens.
CORE or Community Organized Relief Effort is distributing cash assistance to those most affected by the wildfires for immediate needs. It is assessing how it can help community-based organizations providing critical relief with a focus on identifying long-term recovery.
The Center for Disaster Philanthropy has launched a new fund for the Maui wildfires relief. It will support mid- to long-term recovery in Maui and other islands that are affected. It says its focus, as usual, will be to provide grants to local organizations that support marginalized people to work toward an equitable recovery.
It suggests considering the support of local organizations that have flexible funding, that work to prevent or minimize the effects of future disasters, that promote practices for mitigating wildfires and droughts and living with climate change and support the economic recovery of small, locally owned and culturally relevant businesses.
Robert Gauthier/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images
The iconic Banyan tree stands among the rubble of burned buildings on Aug. 11, 2023, days after a catastrophic wildfire swept through the city.
Robert Gauthier/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images
The iconic Banyan tree stands among the rubble of burned buildings on Aug. 11, 2023, days after a catastrophic wildfire swept through the city.
Patrick T. Fallon/AFP via Getty Images
Davilynn Severson holds a page of a yearbook as she looks for belongings through the ashes of their family’s home in the aftermath of a wildfire in Lahaina, Maui, Hawaii, Aug. 11, 2023.
ustin Sullivan/Getty Images
Volunteers load water onto a boat to be transported to West Maui from the Kihei boat landing on Aug. 13, 2023, in Kihei, Hawaii. At least 93 people were confirmed dead over the weekend, and thousands were displaced after a wind driven wildfire devastated the towns of Lahaina and Kula this past week. Crews are continuing to search for nearly 1,000 missing people.
Matt McClain/The Washington Post via Getty Images
Fire damage is seen on Aug. 12, 2023, in Lahaina, HI. The death toll is expected to rise after devastating wildfires swept Maui early in the month.
Justin Sullivan/Getty Images
Cars are backed up for miles on the Honoapiilani highway as residents are allowed back into areas affected by the recent wildfire, Aug. 11, 2023, in Wailuku, Hawaii. Dozens of people were killed and thousands were displaced after a wind-driven wildfire devastated the town of Lahaina on Tuesday. Crews are continuing to search for missing people.
Yuki Iwamura/AFP via Getty Images
Burned houses and buildings are pictured in the aftermath of a wildfire, is seen in Lahaina, western Maui, Hawaii, Aug. 12, 2023.
Patrick T. Fallon / AFP via Getty Images
An aerial image taken on Aug. 10, 2023, shows destroyed homes and buildings burned to the ground in Lahaina in the aftermath of wildfires in western Maui, Hawaii.
Patrick T. Fallon / AFP via Getty Images
An aerial view of Lahaina after wildfires burned through the town on the Hawaiian island of Maui, Aug. 10, 2023. Dozens of people have died after a fast-moving wildfire turned Lahaina to ashes.
Patrick T. Fallon / AFP via Getty Images
Homes and buildings were burned to the ground around the harbor and Front Street in the historic Lahaina Town in the aftermath of wildfires in western Maui in Lahaina, Hawaii, Aug. 10, 2023.
Patrick T. Fallon / AFP via Getty Images
A charred boat sits in Lahaina Harbor in the aftermath of wildfires in western Maui, Hawaii.
Patrick T. Fallon / AFP via Getty Images
An aerial image taken on Aug. 10, 2023, shows destroyed homes and buildings burned to the ground in Lahaina in the aftermath of wildfires in western Maui, Hawaii.
Patrick T. Fallon / AFP via Getty Images
An aerial view of Lahaina after wildfires burned through the town on the Hawaiian island of Maui, Aug. 10, 2023. Dozens of people have died after a fast-moving wildfire turned Lahaina to ashes.
Clint Hansen / Maui Real Estate Radio
Wildfires blaze through North Kihei overnight on Hawaii’s Maui island, Aug. 10, 2023. Residents were cleared to return to Kihei by Thursday afternoon, according to the town’s updates.
Patrick T. Fallon / AFP via Getty Images
Passengers try to rest and sleep after canceled and delayed flights while others wait to board flights off the island as thousands of passengers were stranded at the Kahului Airport in the aftermath of wildfires in Maui in Kahului, Hawaii, Aug. 9, 2023.
Patrick T. Fallon / AFP via Getty Images
Passengers try to rest and sleep after canceled and delayed flights while others wait to board flights off the island as thousands of passengers were stranded at the Kahului Airport in the aftermath of wildfires in Maui in Kahului, Hawaii, Aug. 9, 2023.
Courtesy Chris Sendrey
Smoke billows over Kula in Hawaii’s Maui island, Aug. 3, 2023.
Courtesy Chris Sendrey
Smoke billows over Kula in Hawaii’s Maui island, Aug. 3, 2023.
Courtesy Chris Sendrey
Smoke billows over Kula in Hawaii’s Maui island, Aug. 3, 2023.
Master Sgt. Andrew Jackson / Department of Defense
Hawaii Army National Guard helicopters fight wildfires with bucket drops, Aug. 9, 2023, in Maui, Hawaii. The National Guard said they dropped more than 100,000 gallons of water on the fires.
Master Sgt. Andrew Jackson / Department of Defense
Hawaii Army National Guard helicopters fight wildfires with bucket drops, Aug. 9, 2023, in Maui, Hawaii. The National Guard said they dropped more than 100,000 gallons of water on the fires.
Master Sgt. Andrew Jackson / Department of Defense
Hawaii Army National Guard helicopters fight wildfires with bucket drops, Aug. 9, 2023, in Maui, Hawaii. The National Guard said they dropped more than 100,000 gallons of water on the fires.
County of Maui
Smoke billows over Lahaina in this undated photo released by the County of Maui on Aug. 10, 2023. The historic town of Lahaina was reduced to ashes by Thursday, aerial photos show.
