Sending Support to Maui—A Coastal Community in Need

Maui Fires

In early August, what began as small brush fires, fueled by high winds from an offshore storm, grew out of control. The blaze swiftly decimated large tracts of land, burning through fields, homes, and shops on the Hawaiian island of Maui.

Today, Maui's coastal community of Lahaina has been flattened, with nearly 2,000 buildings impacted, and more than 100 lives lost with hundreds more still unaccounted for. Maine has 3,500 miles of coastline and over 4,600 coastal islands, a handful with year-round communities, which are deeply connected to our heritage as a state, relying on the ocean for food, transportation, and other critical resources. Hailing from Portland, Maine we identify with Maui's ties to the ocean, and we can only imagine the pain and suffering a tragedy like this would incur. What we do know, however, is the resilience of seafaring communities who are no strangers to severe weather events, and picking up the pieces when circumstances may seem hopeless. It is that knowledge which spurred us into action to lend a hand.

Lending a Hand

Our staff wanted to bring these coastal communities—and those who love them—together to try to help. We knew we wanted to work with the Maui Strong Fund, managed by the Hawai'i Community Foundation (HCF). The HCF is operated by a board of local Hawaiians who are in the best position to allocate funds in response to an ever-changing recovery situation. To date, resources from the Maui Strong fund have supported needs including food and supplies, childcare, animal welfare, lodging, and mental wellness.

We set out to create totes that would resonate with people who, like us, were looking for a way to help. Ultimately, we settled on two designs we felt would reach a wider audience and tell a more complete story. The Maui Strong Tote features a lei, an iconic symbol of the Hawaiian Islands. Leis are used as a sign of hospitality, celebration, and love in Hawaiian culture and embody the Hawaiian concept of Aloha. When leis are presented to someone, they are hung from the bearer's outstretched hands forming a rough heart shape before they are placed around the neck of the recipient. For all these reasons, we chose a lei to encircle a green silhouette of Maui, signifying our support and our vision for Maui to rise from the ashes. The Hawaii Strong Tote represents our understanding of the interconnectedness of all the Hawaiian Islands on a turquoise field to symbolize the clear Pacific waters that brings the islands together. Again, we used a heart, placed above Lahaina, to indicate our love and support for the impacted families and businesses.

We are pledging $50 to the HCF for every Maui Strong and Hawaii Strong tote to aid all facets of disaster recovery.