The Hawaiian island of Maui has been hit with ravaging wildfires, destroying buildings and nature in their paths, and has taken some lives. Several American carriers have responded to the disaster by assisting with relief efforts, including Hawaiian Airlines, whose employees recently donated an initial 10,000 pounds of food.

Partnering with local food banks

Unfortunately, the United States is very familiar with natural disasters, from wildfires to earthquakes and tornadoes to hurricanes. Wildfires struck the popular island of Maui earlier this month and have displaced many from their homes and families, with some even losing loved ones. Airlines, which have the potential to be some of the biggest providers of assistance, have stepped in and assisted with relief efforts.

Early this week, Hawaiian Airlines announced a new partnership with Hawaiʻi Foodbank and Maui Food Bank to collect and distribute food. Additionally, the carrier donated $50,000 to each food bank and is deploying volunteers to Hawaiʻi Foodbank to help sort and package donated foods.

“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. 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.” - Peter Ingram, CEO and President, Hawaiian Airlines

On Tuesday, a number of Hawaiian employees worked at several collection sites to receive donations and prepare them to be distributed. By the end of the day, more than 10,000 pounds of baby formula and food, feminine products, diapers, toiletries, canned proteins and meals, rice and grains, non-perishable snacks, peanut butter, and meal bars were collected and given to the two food banks.

“We’re blown away by the incredible turnout of donations from the Hawaiian Airlines ‘ohana yesterday, especially with such short notice." Jennifer Onishi, Director of Corporate Relations and Partnerships, Hawaiʻi Foodbank

Additional efforts

By the end of last week, Hawaiian had evacuated more than 20,000 people from Maui, with 6,600 people leaving within the first day of evacuation efforts. Ten thousand members of the airlines' frequent flyer program donated enough miles to fill over 9,500 interisland flights, and another 4,000 flight vouchers were provided by the airline for volunteers and community members to use.

The carrier added extra flights to get people off the island and also reserved spaces in the cargo holds of aircraft to transport essential items like water, blood, medication, mattress pads, pillows, etc. Since the wildfires started, Hawaiian has contributed more than half a million dollars in cash and in-kind donations to relief efforts. The airline is also supporting Maui Ola: A benefit concert for Maui, which will be broadcast on Sunday at 17:00 local time.