Upcountry Strong desperately needs permanent site to store food for Maui fire survivors

UPCOUNTRY (HawaiiNewsNow) – At one point on August 8, 2023, the Kula fire was the worst wildfire in state history.

However, the destruction is sometimes forgotten given the scale and scope of the Lahaina catastrophe.

Today, nearly one year later – amid constant water shortage worries and rebuild backlogs – Upcountry fire survivors still need help.

“It’s so heartbreaking to see how people suffer. Going through hard times. Growing up I know how it was,” said Upcountry Strong Vice President Francis Kamakaokalani.

That is why Makawao residents Francis Kamakaokalani and Claudia Garcia are committed to helping Upcountry residents the best way they know how to – by feeding them.

“It’s becoming a bigger and bigger and bigger problem,” said Garcia, president of the organization. “We just want to help at least with food. That’s our job. Our calling is to help people at least with food. We don’t want to see anybody going hungry. We shouldn’t have people being hungry in this country,”

Upcountry Strong started in 2020 during the pandemic. After the fires last August, they knew they needed to do more.

“People were running around with melted shoes and shovels and trying to get this fire out,” Garcia said. “I came home, and I said, ‘Honey, this is changing everything. We got to do something else now. We got to open a hub.”

A total of 19 homes Upcountry burned – 16 in Kula and three in Olinda.

Upcountry Strong has fed approximately 35,000 people so far.

“More and more, we got people coming from Lahaina that were staying up here with families … everybody lost jobs, everybody lost their houses, then the whole rental market went absolutely berserk … a lot of people get denied help with the EBT program because they maybe make 50 cents more than they should … insurance going up more than double,” said Garcia.

Upcountry Strong currently distribute food to approximately 225 families every month. However, they desperately need a permanent food storage facility to keep it going.

They are asking anyone who can help to reach out by clicking this link.

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