Donations, Fundraisers & Volunteerism

Celebrated chef and TV personality Guy Fieri teamed up with the Hawaiʻi Restaurant Association, American Savings Bank and Fiserv, Inc., to distribute $600 prepaid debit cards to Lahaina restaurant workers who lost their job when their workplace was destroyed in the tragic wildfires on Aug. 8.

Check out all the things to do around Maui for New Yearʻs Eve, including a fireworks show in Wailea. Find our comprehensive listing HERE.

Hawaiian Telcom and its employees set a new record for their annual United Way fundraising campaign in the company’s 140 anniversary year, raising more than $210,000 for Hawai‘i’s four United Way organizations: Kaua‘i United Way, Aloha United Way on O‘ahu, Maui United Way and Hawai‘i Island United Way.  Of the total, nearly $40,000 was designated for Maui relief efforts.

United Airlines hosted a Christmas Carnival for the keiki of Lahaina on Maui in December.  This year, the airline brought the festivities to Maui to spread the joy of the holidays to more than 150 keiki and their families.  

More than 100 youth and administrators from three local nonprofits gathered at Queen Ka‘ahumanu Center on Dec. 18 as the guests of honor of Ledcor Maui. The festive event was the culmination of a month-long gift drive by Ledcor Maui called Makana no nā Keiki (Gifts for Children), which raised $100,000 for Maui youth. 

The disaster left all the restaurants’ 120 employees without jobs, and at least 60 of them also lost their homes and vehicles. Determined to help their Maui ʻohana, the Corpuels set up a GoFundMe campaign that has since raised over $150,000 in support of employees and their families.

Children at Lahaina Intermediate School were surprised with custom hooded sweatshirts on Monday. The donor wished to stay anonymous, but was grateful for the opportunity to provide the kids with this special gift, according to members of the Lahaina Intermediate PTSA.

A team of nine-year old soccer girls raised funds for fellow soccer players affected by the Maui wildfires by designing and selling stickers.

Maui Bicycling League partnered with the Hawaiʻi Bicycling League, Sovereignty Bike Company from Kauaʻi, and Young Brothers to fulfill the wishes of over 80 kids who requested bikes for Christmas.

Catholic Charities Hawai‘i, Kahului Target Store, Child and Family Services, and various first responders brought holiday cheer to children who were impacted by the recent Lahaina wildfires at its first-ever “Target’s Heroes and Helpers” event held Saturday on Maui.

Santa Claus—in the guise of longtime Maui businessman Richard Dan—gave away hundreds of ʻukulele on Saturday to children at Lahaina schools who lost their homes in the August wildfires.

Hawai‘i Community Foundation announced the award of $575,000 to three nonprofit partners focused on providing assistance to Maui families with small children who have been affected by the fires in August: Partners in Development Foundation, Child and Family Service, and the Hoʻoikaika Partnership with fiscal sponsor Maui Family Support Services.

The Salvation Army expects the needs of the local communities in Hawaiʻi will be greater than usual this holiday season and well into 2024.

DTRIC Insurance, its holding company MS&AD Insurance Group, and its parent company Aioi Nissay Dowa Insurance, have stepped forward with a donation of $100,000 to support Maui wildfire relief effort

Chef Hui and Maui Brewing Co., in collaboration with community partners, are hosting the inaugural Johnny Baldwin Keiki Christmas Beach Bash at Outrigger Kāʻanapali Beach Hotel on Dec. 16 to support displaced families in West Maui.

Holidays For Lahaina along with the help of donors, have organized a Christmas For Lahaina celebration. The event will take place on Thursday, Dec, 21, 2023, at 6 p.m., at The Ritz Carlton, Kapalua, West Maui. The event is NOT open to the public.

This week on Maui, there is so much to do to celebrate the holidays, help raise funds for wildfire survivors and be entertained around the island by comedians, musicians young and old, and even goats. Find our comprehensive listing HERE.

An elegant and impactful, new, coffee-table book titled MĀLAMA MAUI: Music Photography from Lahaina, has just been released. One hundred percent of the profits from sales of the book will be donated to the Maui United Way Fire Disaster Relief Fund.

The Maui-based nonprofit Nā Keiki O Emalia hosts a Keiki Holiday Festival on Sunday, Dec. 17 from 1 to 4 p.m. at the Cameron Center in Wailuku. The event is free and open to all Maui families.

The Ritz-Carlton Maui, Kapalua has joined forces with music industry leader Sony Music Publishing Nashville, and production company Renate Event & Design, to host the 2024 Maui Songwriters Festival from Jan. 6–13, 2024.