The airline focuses on food access in partnership with Hawaiʻi Foodbank, Maui Food Bank and Hawaiʻi Community Foundation
As the unprecedented passenger and cargo airlift continues after the devastating wildfires on Maui, Hawaiian Airlines has embarked on a set of new initiatives to assist the community and address immediate needs.
Access to food is an urgent need in parts of West Maui, and Hawaiian is working with Hawaiʻi Foodbank and Maui Food Bank on food collection and distribution. Hawaiian has donated $150,000 ($50,000 each to Hawaiʻi Foodbank, Maui Food Bank and the Maui Strong Fund of the Hawaiʻi Community Foundation ) to further support the organizations’ wildfire relief work.
In addition, under an expanded relationship with Hawaiʻi Foodbank, one of the airline’s longtime community partners, Hawaiian will deploy volunteers to Hawaiʻi Foodbank to sort and package donations being sent to Maui.
“Food access on Maui is an urgent issue and this work will help our nonprofit partners meet the critical need to deliver food and essential supplies to people affected by this devastating event,” said Hawaiian Airlines President and CEO Peter Ingram. “Our 7,000-strong team is committed to this important work to help our Maui ʻohana and neighbors as we continue to assist with the response on Maui.”
Team Kōkua, Hawaiian's employee volunteer group, packing donation boxes.
“We’re incredibly grateful to Hawaiian Airlines for their support of both our foodbanks,” said Hawai‘i Foodbank President and CEO Amy Miller Marvin. “We are actively working together to support those impacted by the wildfires while also continuing to provide regular food assistance to meet the ongoing needs of our communities.”
Added Maui Food Bank Executive Director Rich Yust, “The compassion we are experiencing from the community is truly humbling, and it keeps us motivated to support our Maui community in every way we can during this time of need.”
Team Kōkua, Hawaiian's employee volunteer group, packing donation boxes.
In addition, Hawaiian today established the Mālama Maui Desk to respond more efficiently to the many organizations and individuals seeking flight, cargo or volunteer support. The request form can be found at www.hawaiianairlines.com/malamamaui, a new website dedicated to Maui relief information. In addition to the Mālama Maui Desk, the page serves as a resource on ways that our community in Hawaiʻi and globally can help respond to the tragic wildfires.
Hawaiian is also supporting Maui Ola: A benefit concert for Maui, a live concert and broadcast fundraiser at 5 p.m. on Aug. 20 at Honolulu's Bernice Pauahi Bishop Museum, by flying in artists, event organizers and participants, and providing volunteers.
Since the wildfires engulfed Lāhainā Aug. 8, Hawaiian has contributed more than $600,000 in cash and in-kind support toward the relief effort.The airline prioritized the evacuation of displaced residents and visitors and the transportation of first responders, operating hundreds of flights and carrying more than 17,000 people out of Kahului Airport within the first 72 hours and thousands more people over the weekend. Over the past six days, the carrier's interisland and transpacific flights to Maui have brought in more than 54,000 pounds of essential cargo ranging from life-saving blood and medical supplies to communications equipment and animal kennels.
Hawaiian is grateful for the overwhelming generosity of some 10,000 HawaiianMiles members who responded to a mileage drive and donated the equivalent to more than 9,500 interisland seats to the American Red Cross of Hawaii. Hawaiian has provided the equivalent of another 4,000 free seats for use by volunteers and community members in need.
