The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints will donate $1 million to relief efforts after the deadly wildfires on the Hawaiian island of Maui, Bishop W. Christopher Waddell, first counselor in the faith’s Presiding Bishopric, announced Sunday.
The funds will go to the American Red Cross to help that organization deal with the aftermath of the devastating flames that burned across the island, destroying the city of Lahaina. As of Monday, the official death toll is 114, and that number is expected to rise.
(The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints) Brad Kieserman, vice president, disaster operations and logistics with American Red Cross, speaks with Bishop W. Christopher Waddell, first counselor in the Presiding Bishopric, in Lahaina, Hawaii, on Sunday, Aug. 20, 2023.
Specifically, the $1 million donation is earmarked for shelters, meals, bedding, hygiene kits and “other items,” according to a church news release, along with medical, mental health and family reunification services.
“The church’s partnership with the Red Cross is so valuable,” said Brad Kieserman, vice president of disaster operations and logistics for the organization. “It reaches so many people and helps so many people who are suffering, and the church’s donation helps alleviate that human suffering.”
Two church buildings on Maui opened as shelters for people displaced by the blazes, offering them a place to sleep and get food, clothing and personal hygiene supplies. Latter-day Saint families have opened their homes to people who lost theirs, and church leaders are working to secure alternate shelter options. Supplies from the bishops’ storehouse in Honolulu have been shipped to Maui.
According to the Utah-based church, five members were killed in the fires and 80 lost their homes.
(The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints) General authority Seventy Mark A. Bragg visits with Latter-day Saints on Aug. 18 during his visit to Maui after deadly wildfires on the Hawaiian island.
“Our hearts go out to you and the members around the world are praying for you,” general authority Seventy Mark A. Bragg said Friday as he visited Latter-day Saints on Maui. “I would hope that everyone, church members and those who are not members of our faith, that they feel hope. That there’s a purpose in this.”
Hawaii Gov. Josh Green visited a shelter on the grounds of a church meetinghouse in Kahului.
“What you are doing is extraordinary for the people of Maui,” he said in a news release. “We need everyone together. I think this kind of crisis brings people together. The sense of loss is there. There are people feeling desperation. They feel their lives if they weren’t lost in the fire may be lost in other ways. You will lift them up.””
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