Hua Momona Foundation announces expanded Lahaina recovery efforts

The Hua Momona Foundation, a Hawaiʻi nonprofit, is expanding the scope of its community support to include many facets of a long recovery phase for the westside community. 

Gary Grube, founder and President of the Hua Momona Foundation said, “Having provided over 30,000 hot meals on the west side to people affected by the Lahaina fire, and based on continuing need, we are expanding our multiyear food insecurity program to address helping families through the recovery phase.” 

Grube said food insecurity isn’t the only issue families face. “Ongoing instability of income, healthcare, and housing is also weighing on westside families,” he said.

The expansion of the scope of the Hua Momona Foundation includes agriculture technology training and jobs, healthcare support for programs hosted by the Hua Momona Farms via partnering with credentialed mental healthcare providers, and jumpstart residential replacement home design and planning services.

“Clearly the traditional funding sources for these types of support will lag the demand, such as employment, healthcare insurance, home insurance, governmental, and a few others” said Grube, a westside resident, engineer and tech-entrepreneur.

“The Hua Momona Foundation is a catalyst to attract donations and grants to utilize with a series of affiliated partners to expedite the recovery process and bring more peace of mind with Aloha to these families,” Grube said.

One such partner is the team at Kasprzycki Designs. Principal Architect Atom Kasprzycki said, “Our Hoʻola Lahaina Project is helping actualize families getting into their new home by resourcing a network of professional architects, designers, surveyors, engineers and others, without worry of insurance support to get a replacement home designed and ready for construction as soon as possible.”  

Hoʻola in Hawaiian means to give life, to revive, to heal.  Kasprzycki said, “We are excited to partner with the Hua Momona Foundation to expand this critical program for the recovery phase and bring more peace of mind to the families that lost their homes.”