All Hands and Hearts (AHAH) is responding to the devastating series of wildfires that ripped through Maui, Hawaii, in August 2023. Alongside meeting the critical needs of those impacted, we are exploring avenues to provide sustained long-term support for communities recovering from the wildfires.

Find the details about volunteering on this program here.

DONATE

‍VOLUNTEER

Please fill out this form if you're interested in being paired with an organization to volunteer, and are already in Hawaii.
This form will help us match you to an organization that best fits your skillset, interest and availability.

Our Work

Since being contacted by the Hawaii Volunteer Organizations Active in Disaster (Hawaii VOAD), AHAH first provided remote support, coordinating volunteers for local organizations – ensuring vital housing and resources were available for evacuees and internally displaced persons in the aftermath of the wildfires. Now, operating from the community of Lahaina, on Maui, AHAH is addressing the critical needs of those impacted.

Nāpili Noho is a community hub initiated by Lahainan families to support those impacted by wildfires. What began as a small operation of “families helping families” in Nāpili Park has evolved into a large, vital resource distribution and essential services center involving new daily teams of volunteers. Still run by the same core team, the hub offers essential supplies like food, clothing and blankets, along with services such as job and benefits assistance, childcare, tutoring and access to computers and the internet. AHAH’s efforts since arriving have involved supporting the work of Nāpili Noho, both with volunteer coordination and the distribution of essential items. In this way, we ensure our work is not only influenced by the community but authentically owned by them.

In conjunction with our work at Nāpili Noho, our team is exploring avenues to support the long-term recovery needs of those impacted. With over 2,200 buildings destroyed in Lahaina alone, there is a vast need for home, school and community center rebuilds.

Current Activities

Thus far, the team has helped the Nāpili Noho Community Hub coordinate over 5,212 volunteer hours to support local disaster relief efforts. This work has ranged from coordinating large shipments of donations to distributing these goods to individuals and families most in need.

The team has forged new partnerships with local partners, including the foundation of Hua Momona Farms and Hui O Wa’a Kaulua. The Hua Momona Farm Foundation provides food for the underserved communities on Maui, including hot meals and fresh local produce. Volunteers have been busy working in the field to plant and harvest produce used to make 700-850 hot meals distributed weekly to the community.

Hui O Wa’a Kaulua is a Lahainan nonprofit whose mission is to educate students on the natural and social environment, inspiring respect and a duty of care through a traditional method of sailing – ‘voyaging.’ When the wildfires devastated their community, the nonprofit took action to support those impacted by the fires. Recognizing the need for essential supplies such as food, personal hygiene products and blankets, Hui O Wa’a Kaulu set up a ‘Relief Hub’ to distribute these vital items to those in need. Many hands make light work, and our volunteers have been busy unloading shipping containers full of donations such as clothing and canned food and facilitating the distribution process at the Hui O Wa’a Kaulu relief hub.

Our team has been working closely with the Napili Noho Community Hub, which supports over 100 families a day and aims to provide long-term support for the communities recovering from the wildfires over the next two years. Thus far, over 280 people have volunteered their time at this hub alone, helping sort and distribute supplies, running the markets and providing general support for the community.

In addition to the Napili Noho Community Hub, DART has connected with other Maui County hubs to review various scopes of work including reforestation, green waste removal and distribution, and is working to support the long term sustainability of these hubs. By facilitating and coordinating volunteers, AHAH is able to support these hubs that are essential to the local communities.