Oprah has followed through on her promise to donate to the victims of the Maui wildfires, announcing the launch of the People’s Fund of Maui on Thursday in partnership with Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson.
Winfrey and Johnson have already donated $10 million to the fund. Every adult resident who lives in the areas impacted by the Lahaina and Kula wildfires will be eligible to receive $1200 per month to help them through their recovery efforts.
Residents can apply at PeoplesFundofMaui.org. The fund is also open to anyone who wishes to donate to the victims of Maui.
“We have created the People’s Fund of Maui that will put money directly in the hands of the people who need it right now,” Winfrey said on her Instagram. “That money is going to go to one of many residents who have been displaced in Maui. We guarantee it.”
Johnson noted that the fund is a solution for anyone who’s been hesitant to donate to other organizations because they don’t know where the money is going. “[The People’s Fund of Maui] is clean, direct from you directly to their hands, right away with some real immediacy because, as we’re finding, as you around the world know, with disasters like this the No. 1 need is money.”
Winfrey, who owns 870 acres of land on the island of Maui, has been a vocal advocate for the victims of the Hawaii wildfires. Earlier this month, the talk show host and TV producer brought supplies to evacuees of the fires and spoke to victims, though the CBS News crew that was with her was turned away. On August 13, Winfrey promised to make “a major donation, after all of the smoke and ashes have settled here, and we figure out what the rebuilding is going to look like.”
With the People’s Fund of Maui, recipients of this money will be able to use these funds on whatever needs they and their families may have rather than depending on unpredictable donations or the priorities of an organization.
