GoFundMe fundraisers for Maui wildfires draw over $30 million in contributions
Over a quarter of a million people have made donations, according to GoFundMe
Maui wildfire relief groups aim to find victims more permanent housing
Global Empowerment Mission President and founder Michael Capponi says the biggest need for displaced Hawaiians is getting them out of shelters and into 'stabilized' housing.
GoFundMe fundraisers supporting Maui wildfire-damaged communities have drawn tens of millions of dollars in contributions.
The crowdfunding platform told FOX Business Wednesday the amount raised to provide direct assistance to Maui communities on the platform totaled over $30 million. Those contributions were made by over a quarter of a million people living in over 100 countries, including the U.S., according to a GoFundMe spokesperson.
Fire damage Sunday Aug. 13, 2023, in Lahaina, Hawaii. The death toll continues to rise for the fires on Maui. (Matt McClain/The Washington Post via Getty Images / Getty Images)
The crowdfunding platform has maintained a wildfire assistance-focused repository consisting of fundraisers, all of which it said have received verification from its trust and safety team.
One online fundraiser connected to the family of writer Wayne Dyer, "Fox & Friends Weekend" host Will Cain and others has raised over $1.5 million so far.
The Hawaiian island has been battling the devastating wildfires for just over a week. The blazes have led to at least 106 fatalities and resulted in nearly $6 billion in estimated losses.
Firefighters had not yet managed to fully contain two fires in Maui as of Tuesday evening. One of them, at 75% contained, has wreaked havoc on nearly 680 acres, while another 2,170-acre fire had an 85% containment status, the County of Maui said at the time.
A banyan tree stands among the rubble of burned buildings days after a catastrophic wildfire swept through the city. (Robert Gauthier/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images / Getty Images)
GoFundMe also told FOX Business that donations received by the Wildfire Relief Fund "will enable immediate relief grants to people impacted by the wildfires, as well as the local nonprofit organizations who are supporting efforts on the ground." The fund had over $600,300 as of early Wednesday afternoon.
On the fund’s page, GoFundMe.org said Monday over 100 grants "have been delivered directly to individuals personally impacted by the fires on Maui."
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Maui is expected to see donations from other sources as well.
Jefferies Financial Group has promised to help Hawaiian wildfire humanitarian assistance by making charitable contributions. It will do so by making $1 million in direct donations and by directing "100% of net global trading commissions" from a Global Trading Day Wednesday "for all trading in equities and fixed income by the firm’s clients" toward charities, according to the company.
Damaged cars in a destroyed neighborhood in the aftermath of a wildfire in Lahaina, western Maui, Hawaii, Aug. 11, 2023. (Patrick T. Fallon/AFP via Getty Images / Getty Images)
Amazon founder Jeff Bezos and fiancée Lauren Sanchez also said they "are creating a Maui Fund and are dedicating $100 million to help Maui get back on its feet now and over the coming years as the continuing needs reveal themselves," according to a recent Instagram post from Sanchez.
JEFF BEZOS AND LAUREN SANCHEZ OFFER $100 MILLION TO MAUI RECOVERY EFFORT
The state and federal government are providing aid to Maui residents too. The federal government’s efforts include transitional sheltering assistance, critical needs assistance, small business administration loans and economic injury disaster loans.