Maui-based philanthropist Ed Freedman and his Stable Road Foundation have announced a new partnership with Global Empowerment Mission (GEM) to distribute $50,000 worth of support directly to people affected by the recent Maui fires.
Half of the contribution will come in the form of cash cards, which will be distributed directly to people on the ground. The other half will go toward the purchase of tools at a local Home Depot, which will be distributed to local craftspeople to help them rebuild their homes and businesses damaged by the fires.
The recent fires in Maui are being called “one of the worst disasters in U.S. history.” Authorities are continuing to search the affected areas to gauge the damage. Hundreds of homes have been burnt and thousands of structures have been damaged or destroyed.
“As a long time resident of Maui, my heart is broken to see so many members of my community struggling to survive in the aftermath of this terrible disaster,” says Ed Freedman, founder of Stable Road Foundation. “We are committed to doing everything we can to help people get back on their feet, both immediately and for the long haul. We’re grateful to our partners at GEM for lending their expertise and passion to the relief efforts.”
Global Empowerment Mission (GEM) is an international charitable organization founded in 2010 to respond to major disasters. Their mission is to “deliver the most amount of aid, to the most amount of people in need, in the shortest amount of time and with the least amount of costs to [their] donors.” GEM recently opened a new office in Maui to help coordinate relief efforts on the island. GEM is one of the very few nonprofits that has a 100% rating in all categories at Charity Navigator.
"We're so grateful to be partnering with Stable Road Foundation, after responding to over 300 disasters in 53 countries,” says GEM founder Michael Caponi. “The devastation in Maui is monumental and requires serious funding and the proper methodologies and strategies must be put into place so the dollar versus impact is significant.”
To help Stable Road Foundation and GEM serve the people of Hawaii, Freedman has started the Maui Relief Fund. All donations up to $500,000 will be matched by Stable Road Foundation, so all supporters will double their impact by donating.
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