Volunteers all-hands-on-deck to deliver supplies to Maui survivors
KIHEI — It was all hands on deck Tuesday as volunteers from the grassroots organization Hungry Heroes Hawaii loaded mounds of food, water and supplies for communities impacted by the deadly Maui wildfires.
All of it is being trucked in West Maui where access is very scarce.
"We came over here and established connections with all of the restaurants that were already cooking for the people here for free," one volunteer told CBS Sacramento.
West Maui is where some of the most isolated communities are in need of food and supplies. Still, everyone there came together to share the spirit of aloha.
It's hope and strength that Chef David and his wife, Linda, of Papi's Ohana, continue to share even in a time of tragedy.
"We are here to be the light, here to be the hope," Linda said. She added, "We are waiting for our Sunday morning. This is how we are going to come out strong."
"We are going to do what we can — feed the community, be the light and show," David said "We know that this is a disaster, but we know that god can turn ashes into beauty."
Two more deaths were confirmed Tuesday, bringing the death toll to 101 with at least 1,300 people still unaccounted for. More than 2,200 buildings have been destroyed and the governor of Hawaii said nearly all of those are residential.
While hundreds of evacuees from Lahaina, the historical town devastated by the fires, are staying in shelters on central Maui, there are still many evacuees out on west Maui who are also living with uncertainty.
The resilience and strength that we witnessed on Maui Tuesday show the true essence of what ohana and aloha really mean.