Relief efforts for those impacted by the catastrophic wildfires on Maui include an airlift undertaken by Hawaii’s coffee growers — a coffee break, if you will, for first responders and others.
The brainchild of Helen Burnett, workforce recruitment director for Heavenly Hawaiian Kona Coffee Farms in Holualoa, Coffee Love for Maui sent its first large shipment of Kona coffee, more than 100 pounds, to the Valley Isle early Friday morning on Mokulele Airlines.
In addition to Heavenly Hawaiian, other farms supplying coffee on the initial airlift include Kona Naturals, Hawaii Product Resources and Mountain Thunder.
Minutes after the plane’s arrival on Maui, firefighters received Kona’s caffeinated cargo — and the Mokulele crew shared in the bountiful beverage, as well, posing for a photo bearing silver bags of Mountain Thunder labeled “Maui Strong.”
Burnett said she, her colleagues, family and friends contributed money to nonprofits at the forefront of Maui relief efforts, but she felt the need to do more.
“I really wanted to do something hands-on and helpful and to not inundate (relief hubs) with something that’s not needed,” Burnett told the Tribune-Herald.
Burnett took her idea to her boss, Heavenly Hawaiian CEO Bill Myers, who used his contacts — including the Hawaii Coffee Association and Kona Coffee Farmers Association — and Coffee Love for Maui began to percolate.
“It’s amazing. Nobody said no,” Myers said. “And there are some cool stories. Bad Ass Coffee, which lost its operation on Maui, they donated 300 pounds of coffee. These are folks who were victims, and they’re reaching out to help others.
“Too see this reaffirms how wonderful the people here are, how wonderful this place is — and how lucky we are to live here.”
After getting the industry associations on board, Myers started calling individual coffee farms.
”I was just dialing for dollars, dialing for coffee,” he said.
In addition to the coffee farms previously named, those donating coffee — which must be roasted and ground before shipping — include Big Island Coffee Connection; Buddah’s Cup; Cancino Family Farm (working directly with Paradise Helicopter); Generations Kona Coffee; Greenwell Farms; Hawaii Coffee Company; Hawaiian Goat Coffee; Hula Daddy Kona Coffee; Ka Io Farms; Kauai Coffee Company; Ka‘u Coffee; Kona Coffee &Tea; Kona Cooperative Extension Service; Kona Earth; Kona Farm Direct; Kona Lisa; Kona Premium Coffee Company; Kona RainForest Coffee; Lava Rock Farms; Llanes Kona Coffee Estates; Lions Gate Coffee; Mauka Morning, in memory of Alex Cadang; Monarch Farms; Pacific Coffee Research (working directly with University of Hawaii Medical Center); San Francisco Bay Coffee; South Kona Estate; Straus Kona Farms; UCC Coffee Company and Uluwehi Coffee Farm.
All coffee sent to Maui will arrive in each farm’s retail packages, in 8-ounce, 1-pound and 5-pound bags. Each package also bears a small sticker proclaiming “Coffee Love for Maui.”
As Myers enlisted coffee purveyors, Burnett canvassed air carriers, with affirmative responses from Aloha Air Cargo, Mokulele Airlines, Mauna Loa Helicopter Tours, Paradise Helicopters and Hawaii Life Flight, working with American Medical Response Hawaii.
Myers said a “test shipment” of 20 pounds was sent early last week via Hawaii Life Flight to American Medical Response, to be savored by medical personnel treating burn victims.
“We sent that shipment out to make sure the system works. And it does,” he said.
Addressing reports of contaminated tap water on parts of Maui, Myers noted, “There’s lots of bottled water.”
“One of the folks we’re working with over there, Father Ken Deasy, is distributing bottled water,” he said. “Several of the the farmers we’re working with have only a limited amount of coffee on hand because it’s early in the season. They asked how they can help. And they’re out doing things like buying water, buying cups, buying whatever is needed to be shipped over, as well.
“And as this goes forward, if they say ‘we need more water,’ we’ll get them more water. We’ve got the resources.”
Boots on the ground for distribution on Maui include: AMR, working with Hawaii Life Flight; Calvary Chapel, Central Maui; Father Ken’s Vineyard; and King’s Cathedral Church.
“To me, coffee is a necessity, as it is to many people,” said Deasy, a retired priest and the principal of Father Ken’s Vineyard, a West Maui nonprofit unscathed by the fires.
“Long story short, Bill (Myers), who I know from St. Benedict’s Church in Captain Cook, asked if I would be a point man,” Deasy said. “I have a pickup truck, and now that the roads are open, I’ll bring it to Lahaina Gateway, which is a big distribution center (and) Napili Market, which is a big distribution center.”
According to Burnett, King’s Cathedral in Kahului is sheltering more than 200 people.
“They’re still providing three meals a day, so they can use the coffee there,” she said.
The Rev. Billie Mamuad of King’s Cathedral said the church is acting as “a donation hub for the community, helping get supplies to West Maui.”
“We have some police officers who come to our church, and we’ve been helping to supply their little snack room they have at one of their hubs,” she said. “So, in addition to the community, we’ll supply the coffee to the officers, to the firefighters, our first responders.”
Reportedly, 20 Maui firefighters lost their homes to the inferno, which also destroyed the Lahaina extension of King’s Cathedral.
“We had about 200 members that would attend,” said Mamuad. “All of our pastoral staff, they lost their houses, as well. But God brought them out safely, so we’re thankful for that. Buildings can be rebuilt.
“I’ve lived on Maui for going on 20 years, and I’ve never before seen our community rise up and rally together the way it has in this moment. I’m sad that it took such a great tragedy, but it just shows you the strength of the community.”
“It’s so beautiful to see the islands coming together to help,” added Burnett. “This is the biggest sense of community that I’ve ever felt here.”
Email John Burnett at jburnett@hawaiitribune-herald.com.