HONOLULU — The Hawai‘i Community Foundation Tuesday announced $132,500 in grant funding to support emergency-response efforts on Kaua‘i following flash flooding that resulted in a massive landslide cutting off road access to the North Shore last week.
The grants are made possible by donations to the Kaua‘i Strong Fund, which was created to build community resilience by providing resources for disaster preparedness, response and recovery.
The 10 grants, made available within days of the disaster and ranging from $7,500 to $15,000, will support community efforts helping those trapped on Kaua‘i’s North Shore. These efforts include mobilizing the transportation of food, supplies and key personnel by boat and ATVs; establishing makeshift refuse stations; opening emergency shelters for displaced residents; food distribution, and more.
“We are incredibly grateful to the Hawai‘i Community Foundation for providing grants-in-aid toward our continuing Kaua‘i emergency response efforts,” said Mayor Derek Kawakami.
”Mahalo to all who have already donated much of their time and funding. Mahalo to Kamehameha Schools and Dr. Priscilla Chan and Mark Zuckerberg for your generous contributions to HCF in support of these important grants,” he said.
“The grants issued today follow a trust-based philanthropy model where the organizations are being relied upon to use their leadership and resources to best serve their community. Our hearts go out to the Hanalei, Wainiha and Ha‘ena communities,” said Darcie Yukimura, vice president of philanthropy at HCF.
The nonprofits receiving grants and intended use are:
• Malama Kaua‘i – Weekly food distribution of local agriculture boxes and locally-produced protein delivered by boat from Princeville to Hanalei until Kuhio Highway reopens;
• Hale Halawai – Community hub in Hanalei being used as emergency-management center, providing an emergency shelter and commercial kitchen for the community, including displaced residents and the fire and police departments;
• Waipa Foundation – Community hub in Hanalei providing poi for local residents and being used as a community kitchen, food distribution, farmers’ market and refuse station;
• Hui Maka‘ainana O Makana – Provide food and care for residents of Wainiha and Ha‘ena, especially kupuna;
• National Tropical Botanical Garden Limahuli Gardens – Provision of personnel and equipment (such as ATVs) to support impacted residents in Wainiha and Ha‘ena;
• Hawaii Foodbank Kaua‘i Branch – Work with partner agencies to provide food for 500 to 700 families in the Hanalei, Wainiha and Ha‘ena areas on a weekly basis;
• Nourish Kaua‘i – Support fuel for boats and ATVs, feed the volunteers and residents, and manage a “wish list” of community needs;
• Hanalei Initiative – Coordinate the transportation of food and supplies needed by residents from Hanalei boat yard to Princeville, as well as providing a boat and ATV shuttle service;
• Kaua‘i Food Hub – Provide emergency food and community-sourced agriculture boxes to families in need;
• Kaua‘i Independent Food Bank – Deliver food to their partners on the North Shore to help families in need and coordinate with partner sites to reach those in the community who may also have been affected by the flooding on the south and west sides.
“It is amazing how quickly the community came together to devise such a massive transportation system — over a river in boats, up a mountain on ATVs, shuttling back and forth,” said Joel Guy, executive director of Hanalei Initiative.
“It’s proof that leveraging trusted private and public partnerships can make a community resilient when a crisis hits. The 2018 flood helped build those, and in this emergency response we are able to rely on that important work.”
Kamehameha Schools has contributed $30,000 and the Chan Zuckerberg Kaua‘i Community Fund has committed $60,000 to the Kaua‘i Strong Fund to support this first tranche of support.
“Working together allowed us to help uplift Kaua‘i’s North Shore community and support the dedicated volunteers, nonprofits and ‘Oiwi leaders moving swiftly to help those in need,” said Buffy Trugillo, Kamehameha Schools director for Kaua‘i and Ni‘ihau. “These collaborative efforts are what help empower the community to overcome these challenges,” she said.
To learn how to donate to the Kaua‘i Strong Fund, visit hawaiicommunityfoundation.org/kauai-strong.
