PRESS RELEASE For Immediate release April 10, 2020
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FOR MORE INFORMATION Contact: Sheila Sarhangi Hawai‘i Community Foundation (808) 772-0718 Mobile ssarhangi@hcf-hawaii.org
HAWAI‘I RESILIENCE FUND RAISES OVER $8.4 MILLION TO ADDRESS THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC Nearly $4 million has been deployed to support communities and health care workers across the state HONOLULU, HI – The Hawai‘i Resilience Fund at the Hawai‘i Community Foundation (HCF) has now accepted $8.4 million from over 193 givers across the state of Hawai‘i to address the impact of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) in Hawai‘i. Nearly $4 million has been deployed in just three weeks to nonprofits and health care organizations working on the front lines—with new grant reviews happening daily. The Fund was established with $2 million in mid-March and has increased significantly, including a new gift on Monday, April 6, from the Bank of Hawaii (BOH) Foundation for $3 million—the second largest donation in BOH Foundation’s history. “As this pandemic continues, Bank of Hawaii remains fully committed to being part of the solution in addressing the immediate as well as long-term needs of our community,” said Peter S. Ho, chairman, president and CEO of Bank of Hawaii. “We hope this donation to HCF’s Hawaiʻi Resilience Fund will make a significant impact by allowing us to help our community in the broadest way possible.” To date, grants to the community are helping to protect and support front-line health care workers, contribute to food distribution and economic relief for families, support vulnerable populations with home health-care visits, and more. “We’re seeing the impact of these funds across our Islands—from people being able to get tested, to knowing where their next meal is going to come from, to being able to pay their utility bills,” said Micah Kāne, President and CEO of HCF. “For everyone in Hawai‘i, this is the moment to think about what you could offer your community; it can be something big, or small, but consider how you could make someone’s day better during this tough time.” As of April 8, more than 20 nonprofits have received grants including: Aloha United Way, Catholic Charities Hawai‘i, Community Clinic of Maui, Council for Native Hawaiian Advancement, Hawai‘i County Economic Opportunity Council, Hawai‘i Homeless Healthcare Hui, Hawai‘i’s food banks, Helping Hands Hawai‘i, HOPE Services, Kama‘āina Kids, KEY Project, Kōkua Kalihi Valley – KKV, Lāna‘i Community Health Center, Kahanu (emergency ventilators), RCUH: Hawai‘i Contract Tracking, West Hawai‘i Community Health Center, The YMCA of Honolulu, and more.