PRESS RELEASE
For Immediate Release May 8, 2019
827 Fort Street Mall Honolulu, Hawai‘i 96813 Phone: 808-537-6333 Fax: 808-521-6286 HawaiiCommunityFoundation.org
FOR MORE INFORMATION Contact: Catherine Howland Hawai‘i Community Foundation (808) 566-5569 (Office) (808) 260-5001 (Mobile) chowland@hcf-hawaii.org
HAWAI‘I ISLAND VOLCANO RECOVERY FUND CONTINUES TO SUPPORT RECOVERY FROM 2018 VOLCANIC ERUPTIONS Hawai‘i Community Foundation shifts to long-term recovery and calls for continued support HONOLULU, HI – The Hawai‘i Community Foundation (HCF) announced today that the Foundation will soon distribute awards for the “long-term recovery” phase of the post-volcano recovery effort from the Hawai‘i Island Volcano Recovery Fund (HIVRF). The fund raised over $1M to support the recovery effort and was created in partnership between the Hawai‘i Community Foundation (HCF), Eric Anderson, Roger Beck, Darien & Darren Gee, Kate Bell, Tom Blackburn and an anonymous Jack’s Fund donor. The first grant was made to support the purchase of the STREAK database that was critical for the local nonprofit organizations to intake and track over 1200 requests for assistance. Since then, HCF has distributed over $670,000 grants in total to 18 organizations to assist affected Hawai‘i communities in recovery efforts. A full list of grantees can be found at HawaiiCommunityFoundation.org/VolcanoRecovery “When the volcano erupted nearly one year ago, Hawai‘i Island began a rapid response effort that lasted months. The lava has stopped flowing, but we are still faced with the resulting sudden spike in homelessness and increased strain on our nonprofit organizations,” said Diane Chadwick, Director of Community Philanthropy at HCF. “Thanks to the generosity and responsiveness of givers around the world, great strides have been made on the path to recovery.” Grants distributed from the Hawai‘i Island Volcano Recovery Fund have been categorized based on the following three priority areas: •
Response—These grants supported nonprofits that could immediately provide food, shelter, mental health, hygiene, legal, and insurance support. HCF distributed just over $156,000 to 10 organizations during this phase of the disaster response.
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Recovery—Grants to nonprofits that helped residents return to their lives via home repairs and alternative living arrangements. Grantees included Habitat for Humanity,