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Report From Maui Fires Relief

September 12, 2023

Maui Fires Disaster Response Update: September 12, 2023

Thank you for supporting Maui! On August 18th, members of the HOPE worldwide Global Disaster Response Team flew to Maui to meet with our local partner, the Maui Christian Church. We have partnered for the last month tirelessly working to cultivate respectful relationships with local community leaders and residents to assess the immediate and long-term needs resulting from the tragic fires.

Because of your generous donations, the Maui Christian Church & HOPE worldwide were able to quickly provide essential emergency relief supplies like canned food, clean drinking water, lunches, shelving, and more to 3 community resiliency hubs within Lāhainā, Napili, Kaʻanapali, and Kula on Maui. These communities are currently surviving on donations. Most families lost their vehicles in the fires, so everything must be donated to them, since they cannot drive 30-40 minutes to get to grocery stores that are still open.

Video credit: @earthalohaeats

What are Community Resiliency Hubs? After the fires, these communities, neighboring islands, and the mainland rallied together and began to provide essential items to the westside of Maui. As a result of the amount of donations being sent to the island daily, the communities created community run and staffed resiliency hubs. These hubs are how residents within the affected areas are getting virtually all of their food, supplies and items, because stores in many of the affected communities have closed and these areas have become food deserts since the fires.

In addition, the Maui Christian Church and HOPE worldwide partnered with a local Lāhainā resident who has been feeding 300+ people daily within the community. We delivered over a week's worth of food to him, so that he could continue to feed the people in his community for whom there was no access to food, resources, or even clean water.

Furthermore, the Maui Christian Church & HOPE worldwide met 17 families who lost their livelihood as fisherman when their equipment was completely destroyed in the fire. Fishing is a huge part of the Hawaiian community and highly respected. Because of your donations, we helped these families rebuild by purchasing necessary fishing equipment for them to continue to provide for their families and begin the long journey of healing.

Thank you for your support! It has made a big difference for hundreds of people.

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We are deeply saddened by the passing of our dear friend and brother, Dave Tomlinson. Dave was a beloved part of the HOPE worldwide family who served in many capacities throughout his time with us, most recently as Chief Operating Officer before his retirement. He also played an important role in our Global Disaster Response and Community Service Brigades teams, serving alongside his wife, Angela. More than the roles he held, Dave was a cherished friend whose warmth, kindness, and genuine spirit touched so many people. His care for others was evident in the way he served, led, and built relationships with people around the world. Dave had a remarkable ability to encourage, uplift, and connect with people, reflecting God's love in both his leadership and his friendships. We will miss Dave deeply and are grateful for the many ways he gave of himself to HOPE worldwide and to the amazing people we get to serve. We’re holding Angela and their family close in our thoughts and prayers during this difficult time. Dave’s presence will be deeply missed, but his faith, love, and example will remain in our hearts forever and his legacy will continue to inspire all who had the privilege of knowing him.