MAUI WILDFIRE RELIEF FUND FOR THE IWAMURA OHANA

On August 8th, catastrophic wildfires destroyed the historic town of Lahaina on Maui, Hawaii — including the home of our extended Maui family, The Iwamuras. The devastating wildfires took everything, including The Iwamura's family home, all of their belongings, and, sadly, their beloved family pets, Dodge and Otis.

The Maui wildfires are now the deadliest in the United States in over a century. We are enormously grateful that all members of the Iwamura family made it out of the area safely despite having only minutes to evacuate.

Lahaina was home to hundreds of years of irreplaceable Hawaiian history and was the setting for many favorite family and childhood memories. It is upsetting to see current photos of the once vibrant town, now leveled to nothing but badly burned structures and ash. Many residents have also found themselves without a job, as the fires destroyed countless workplaces and suspended the much-needed tourism that maintains the local economy.

Unfortunately, because of how quickly and unexpectedly the Iwamura family had to evacuate, there was no time to pack any of their belongings. All donations graciously made to this fund will be transferred directly to a separate bank account specifically opened to help the Iwamura family with immediate and long-term needs as their family and the community recover from this unimaginable loss. Donations will go toward temporary and long-term housing assistance, food and water, gas, basic hygiene and personal items, clothing, and other essential items that will help support the Iwamura family as they do their best to rebuild their lives. Our family will be profoundly grateful for donations of any size. If a monetary donation is not feasible for you at this time, you can still show your support by sharing the link to this GoFundMe page with your friends and family or by posting it to your social media platforms to help increase our reach and potential aid.

We are often reminded of what is truly important in times of significant loss. Ohana is the Hawaiian word for "family". Ohana is everything! We are sincerely thankful for the kindness and support of those who have reached out to find out how they can help. Your thoughtfulness is appreciated more than you know!

"Starting all over again is going to be rough

For us, we're gonna make it..."

-Isreal Kamakawiwoʻole. "Starting All Over Again."

Mahalo, The Aoki Ohana