We arrived on Maui Sunday morning, not knowing what we were coming
home to. Here are a few moments that moved us to tears.
I (Allen) was deeply touched seeing boxes of aid on the carrousel with our
arriving luggage. I (Aviva) saw a truck from the World Central Kitchen
parked in front of Costco. Tears welled up in my eyes as I bowed to the
driver with all my gratitude. I told him, “We have supported the World
Central Kitchen for many years. Now you are here! I am so grateful to
know you will be feeding people on Maui!”
We then went to the War Memorial Complex to drop-off our CVS and Costco
donations. It is a massive distribution center, well-organized by countless
volunteers. We drove up to the drop-off site and our vehicle was
immediately surrounded with the loving open arms of adults and teenagers,
ready to receive our donations. We looked around and were in awe with the
sheer volume of water, food and household goods that had been donated.
More tears for acts of kindness and generosity.
We are grateful to be part of our loving, spirited and thriving IKAR
community. Thank you for your support and your donations to help restore
the lives of our neighbors affected by this tragedy.
With love and aloha,
Aviva Feintech and Allen Greenfield
Organizations Supporting the Fire Relief Efforts on Maui
Congregation collecting donations for Maui Shul. Email [email protected] for more information.
Rabbi David Kosak
Congregation Neveh Shalom
2900 SW Peaceful Lane
Portland, Oregon 97239
We highly recommend donating to the newly launched Maui Strong Fund at the Hawaii Community Foundation. Maui Strong Fund is invested in immediate and long-term relief efforts. The Fund has raised over $34M since the fires erupted on Maui. Hawaii Community Foundation is assessing the needs daily and have already dispersed $4.3M in grants to local organizations on the ground. They have an established initiative for affordable housing on Maui, which will now become a major part of their recovery efforts. For further information, contact Inger Tully at [email protected].
The Council for Native Hawaiian Advancement has established Koko’o Maui, a donation matching fund for fire relief. The Council is a new organization to us, but comes well-recommended. Their focus on social justice and equality reads like a Hawaiian version of IKAR.
The following two organizations are providing meals to residents displaced by the fires:
Maui Nui Strong is an excellent website listing many of the major organizations supporting fire relief and recovery, for those who are interested in further research.
The Jewish Community has both national and local efforts:
Jewish Federation of North America has launched a Hawaii Wildfire Fund.
Jewish Congregation of Maui, the local congregation in Kihei, immediately responded to the local needs as the fires threatened their neighborhood.
Maui Kosher Farm, located in Wailuku, opened its doors to feed and house locals and tourists affected by the fires.