The Office of the Secretary of State operates a secure online system for the public to make donations to verified relief organizations, including those now assisting survivors, first responders and residents of a 3½ square mile wildfire that destroyed thousands of homes and businesses in the town of Lahaina and other parts of the island starting Aug. 8.
At press time at least 114 people were known to have died in the fire and hundreds more remained missing.
“The disaster that has affected so much of Maui has astonished and saddened people throughout Washington,” Secretary of State Steve Hobbs said. “There is a deep desire to help, and this secure donations portal provides a pathway for Washingtonians’ generosity to benefit causes that are on the ground and doing good work.”
Many residents of the Key Peninsula have family connections to Hawaii and reached out to KP News asking for help.
The Disaster Relief Center website, at https://give.wa.gov/cfd/Disaster-Relief-Center, aids crisis-relief charities “during periods of natural or humanitarian disasters that exceed a region’s capacity to provide help.” It has been used for organizations that work with the victims of mass shootings and international aid groups responding to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
UNDERWRITTEN BY THE FUND FOR NONPROFIT NEWS (NEWSMATCH) AT THE MIAMI FOUNDATION, THE ANGEL GUILD, ADVERTISERS, DONORS AND PEOPLE WHO SUPPORT INDEPENDENT, NONPROFIT LOCAL NEWS