Secure pathways available for Washington residents to donate to Maui wildfire relief

Maui photo courtesy WA Secretary of State

OLYMPIA — A secure portal operated by the Office of Secretary of State provides all Washington residents, public employees, and state retirees a one-stop way to donate to Maui relief efforts.

The Disaster Relief Center, a special project of the Secretary of State’s Combined Fund Drive charity fundraising program, provides links for one-time donations by credit cards or, for state and other public employees, payroll or retirement deductions to benefit each donor’s choice of verified relief organizations aiding Maui residents, first responders, healthcare efforts, and more.

More than 110 people have been killed and hundreds more are missing due to the devastating August wildfires across Maui, which demolished the historic town of Lahaina and destroyed more than 2,000 homes, businesses, and other buildings.

“The disaster that has affected so much of Maui has astonished and saddened people throughout Washington,” Secretary of State Steve Hobbs said. “There is a deep desire to help, and this secure donations portal provides a pathway for Washingtonians’ generosity to benefit causes that are on the ground and doing good work.”

The Disaster Relief Center website, accessible here, aids crisis-relief charities during periods of natural or humanitarian disasters that exceed a region’s capacity to provide help. The website has previously been used for donations to organizations that work with the victims of mass shootings and international aid groups responding to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.