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As devastation on Kauai comes into focus, donations pour in By HNN Staff | April 18, 2018 at 3:47 PM HST - Updated August 13 at 9:00 PM HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) - They're helping with canned goods. With bottled water. With money and with time. Across the state and across the nation, people are giving a lot or a little — whatever they can — to help those who have lost so much on Kauai. Those organizing to help include longtime residents of the island, newcomers, people who have visited once and those who have only dreamed of doing so. "Kauai aloha, the spirit of Kauai, is alive and well here," said Gayle Thompson, member of the Ka Lei Mokihana O Leina'ala hula halau, which held a donation drive two nights in a row in Kalaheo to help their neighbors. "The outpouring of love and donations that have been coming in from the community is just amazing."
What you can do: How to help Kauai flood victims
There have also been some household names who have helped out. Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg and his wife, Priscilla Chan, pledged to donate $1 million to flood relief efforts on the island. Actor Ben Stiller (who owns a home on Kauai) tweeted out an appeal for donations. And eBay founder Pierre Omidyar and his wife, Pam, have contributed $100,000 to disaster relief — and set up a special fund through the Hawaii Community Foundation, which also donated $100,000. Two anonymous donors have also pitched in, and foundation officials said grants will start to be distributed to organizations in the next 24 hours. The funds, the foundation said, will go toward providing food, water and shelter. Meanwhile, GoFundMe has created a centralized hub for all Hawaii flood relief efforts. Several active fundraisers have already collected hundreds of thousands of dollars for residents in the hardest hit areas of the island.
And on Facebook, the disaster on Kauai has its own crisis response page, along with links to several fundraisers. One that benefits Malama Kauai has already collected nearly $40,000.