CARES money off the table, how we help each other with COVID-related needs
We are reaching out to our Sierra Club community to leverage the help of our 27,000 members and supporters throughout the Hawaiian Islands. As you may know, the state received trillions of dollars from the federal government to respond to the coronavirus pandemic, including $1.25B in CARES funding for relief and recovery. While some of these funds were given to the counties to provide direct relief to struggling residents, a large chunk of the CARES funding was put into the state's "Rainy Day Fund" to be revisited when our legislators reconvene legislative session in mid-June—instead of being deployed to help residents who are in need now.
Hawai‘i already had the highest cost of living in the U.S. before COVID-19 hit. With 240,000 residents filing for unemployment, dire state budget shortfalls and a slow economic recovery ahead, many of our neighbors are facing unprecedented financial hardship and need our kōkua today.
Now, more than ever, it is up to us to reach out and help one another. There are countless ways to get and give help. We've pulled together a snapshot of comprehensive resources available in communities throughout the islands to help us all get through this pandemic and emerge stronger and better connected:
Volunteer
Kanu Hawaiʻi has definitely outdone itself and created an incredible, comprehensive, easy-to-use resource for volunteer opportunities, needs, donations and more throughout the islands. Find a COVID volunteer opportunity—like dropping off groceries to kūpuna, sewing masks for frontline workers and making hygiene packets for homeless youth—with just a couple of clicks. Get started and find a volunteer opportunity near you here.
Services
Kūkulu is a new digital platform that streamlines donor-to-organization asks. Individuals or organizations can post both "asks" or "offers" for services, supplies and donations. Check it out today. You can seek out skilled help, as well as post a specific service, skill or in-kind donation that you can offer to help those who need it.
Donate
Free food distribution remains one of the top priorities in our communities. Each county has a food bank that is working overtime to help us all out. If you need food or if you have a capacity to donate, please contact your local food bank today.
Hawaiʻi Food Basket (Hawaiʻi Island)
Maui Food Bank (Maui)
Hawaiʻi Food Bank (Oʻahu)
Kauaʻi Food Bank (Kauaʻi)
Donate your old computers to youth who need for school! Hawaiian Hope is working to provide access to technology for low-income and houseless students. They have seven distinct projects that provide free computers, internet access, and web hosting. They are also the only nonprofit addressing "E-Waste" and offer data protection for donated items. Donate old computers or funds for parts today.
Do you have old cell phones? The Emergency Reentry Hui and the Partners in Care community are in need of cell phones for people experiencing homelessness and those recently released from prison. Mobile phones are vital to access medical care, COVID-19 testing, housing, quarantine, employment resources and more. Learn more and donate today.
Many of the hotel, healthcare, and food service workers are doing essential work but there are also thousands of Hawaiʻi workers in the hospitality and service industries that are currently out of work due to COVID-19. Our friends at UNITE HERE Local 5 have set up a hardship fund to help offer financial assistance to its members. Please consider donating today.
Support Local Food + Businesses
Sign up for a CSA or check out farmer's markets that are open to support local agriculture. With restaurants still closed or open at a smaller scale, there is a lot of produce now available to the community.
Support your local restaurants by getting environmentally responsible take-out or delivery. Check out Ocean Friendly Restaurants for plastic-free eateries near you, or be sure to ask for your take out with no plastic utensils or bags.
Our collective power can make a difference. The curve is flattened but our communities are still suffering with unemployment, uncertainty, and a broken safety net. But with your help we can ease the burden on our communities—one person, one meal, one purchase at a time. In this time, a little goes a long way and we are glad to have dedicated caring people—just like you—on our side that we can count on to step up for the environment and your neighbors.