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Over 175,000 GoFundMe donors from across the world have rallied to support the victims of the natural disaster in Maui, and Massachusetts residents have done their part, chipping in over $300,000 to various fundraising campaigns.
A group of people in Billerica raised money for their friend who owned a jewelry stand in Lahaina, Maui. The woman's stand was "a labor of love for over a quarter century," the GoFundMe campaign said.
The fundraiser for Kat Stout, owner of the Jewelry Stand Maui, raised over $3,000 in two days.
Another Maui-based artisan received a helping hand from Concord to the tune of $18,000 after her home and glass studio were destroyed by the fires.
The GoFundMe campaign description said that the woman lived in her now-destroyed home for three decades.
A man who lived in Lahaina for 15 years suffered a total loss in the fires. His home and all his possessions were lost to the flames. His brother, based in Melrose, created a GoFundMe campaign that raised almost $15,000 in four days.
"The fires in Maui have been devastating and Dan lost his home with everything in it," the campaign description said. "He got out safely but only with his truck and the clothes on his back."
A Hopkinton man created a GoFundMe to help support a children's baseball league in Maui after the fires left many of the children's families homeless. The fundraiser garnered over $2,000 in five days.
"The fires have left many of these kids and their families without homes and without any equipment to work towards those goals," the fundraiser description read. No bats, gloves, batting gloves, helmets, etc. Many are living in shelters and spending their days in the cages (with borrowed bats) to pass the time while the fires are still raging.
A woman from Quincy created a GoFundMe to support a family of three in Maui. Max, Mary, and Ollie lost their home and everything they owned in the fires.
More than 155 people chipped in, contributing over $15,000 to help the family get back on their feet.
A person based in Norwood created a GoFundMe to support Bob Vanderberg, a man who lost both his home and his workplace to the "devastating" fire. The fundraiser garnered over $12,000.
The Salem-based niece of one Lahaina resident took to GoFundMe to raise money for her aunt after her home was destroyed, taking her beloved songbirds in the process.
"She has spent her retirement days in her charming little house, talking to the songbirds that come to her porch," the fundraiser description said. "Her entire house burned to the ground, forcing her to stay in a shelter with her dog... My aunt is a beautiful and kind soul and would immensely appreciate any help to relieve her burdens and restore her livelihood."
The fundraiser received over $6,000 in donations in less than a week.
A Gloucester man created a GoFundMe for his brother Ramon who lost everything in the fire.
"My brother has such a kind heart and was hesitant to ask for help but I know he is going to need all the help he can get," the campaign description read.
A Maui woman's life was "shattered" by the fires, but her Northampton-based friend created a GoFundMe to support her and her husband. The husband built 90% of the home that was lost in the fire.
"While we will be supporting those less fortunate along the way we will also be using these funds to get us through these critical first few months and ultimately help us rebuild to show others it is possible to attain your dreams in light of unimaginable adversity," the woman wrote in a thank-you to the donors who supported her.
Click here to view a hub for verified GoFundMe campaigns to help the victims of the Maui fires.
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