Cash Donations For Maui Fire Victims
Here are some organizations accepting donations for emergency efforts. Links attached to the organization names below will take you directly to donation checkout pages.
Hawaii Community Foundation Maui Strong fund: Focusing on rapid response and working with local nonprofits to understand community needs.
Maui Food Bank: Collecting and distributing food to help the hungry in Maui County.
Maui United Way: Providing direct relief to families and nonprofits.
The Salvation Army Hawaiian and Pacific Islands Division: Providing food and resources for evacuees.
Public Schools of Hawaii Foundation: Partnering with the state Department of Education to support school communities in West Maui through Oct. 1.
Council for Native Hawaiian Advancement: Working to match every donation to Maui fire victims as of Friday evening.
Catholic Charities Hawaii: Actively working with other organizations to assess the critical needs of individuals affected by the wildfires.
Maui Humane Society: Supporting shelters for displaced people and animals, and caring for injured animals. .
Hawaii Chamber of Commerce Hawaii Business Relief Fund: Assisting the business communities on Maui.
World Central Kitchen: Providing meals to people in need by partnering with local organizations.
Hawaii Lions Foundation: Matching up to $25,000 in donations for Maui disaster relief efforts.
Avoid Scams
The state Attorney General’s office urged residents to use caution when choosing where to send their money and donations.
“I know that the people of Hawaii will come to the aid of our families, neighbors and communities,” says Attorney General Lopez. “We are already seeing various fundraising efforts being promoted on social media platforms and online. In moments of crisis, we all must be extra vigilant against bad actors who try to take advantage of people’s goodwill.”
Before making a donation, the AG advised in a news release Wednesday to keep following tips in mind:
Donate to trusted, well-known charities. Beware of scammers who create fake charities during natural disasters. Always verify a charity’s legitimacy through its official website. If someone is fundraising on behalf of a charity you are familiar with, the best practice is to donate directly to that charity.
Verify that the charity is legitimate. Any charity that solicits donation in Hawaii must be registered with the Department of the Attorney General, and its status can be verified here. There are also a number of independent online sources you can use to verify that a charity is legitimate, including the following:
IRS Tax Exempt Organization Search: https://apps.irs.gov/app/eos/
Charity Navigator: https://www.charitynavigator.org/
DCCA Business Search: https://hbe.ehawaii.gov/documents/search.html
Stay away from suspicious donation requests and be mindful of the following scammer’s tactics:
Rushing you into making a donation. Don’t let anyone rush you into making a donation. Take your time to do your research.
Asking you to make a donation using cash or gift card. Most legitimate charities will accept credit card and check donations.
Using names that sound a lot like the names of real charities. This is one reason it pays to do some research before giving.
Scammers make lots of vague and sentimental claims but give no specifics about how your donation will be used.
Comments