Jeff Bezos made a splashy pledge of $100 million to help rebuild Maui after it was devastated by wildfires in August, but local officials wonder where the money went. and nonprofit organizations are reportedly equally confused.
according to bloomberg Bezos and his fiancée, Lauren Sanchez, have so far donated only $15.5 million of their pledge, but West Maui state senators and local nonprofit leaders have donated, according to a report released Thursday. They told the media that they had not heard of other organizations receiving donations or receiving donations. It's part of Bezos' pledge.
“Nobody's heard anything,” state Sen. Angus McKelvey, who represents West Maui, told the outlet. “If they had simply consulted the community and me and other representatives, we would have told them, 'Bring the money and put it here.'
In response to an inquiry from the Post on Friday afternoon, a spokesperson for Mr. Bezos released a list of organizations that received funds.
The organizations to which Mr. Bezos and Mr. Sanchez have distributed $15.5 million so far include the Maui Boys & Girls Club, Hawaii Wildfire Management Agency, Hawaii community revitalization organization Lele Aloha, and the Maui Food Bank, a spokeswoman said. told the Post.
The Post reached out to each of these organizations for comment.
The Maui Food Bank confirmed they are receiving assistance.
“The Maui Food Bank has had a long-standing partnership with Jeff Bezos in supporting the hungry in Maui County. We would like to thank him and Lauren Sanchez for their compassion during the Maui wildfires. We are very grateful to him,” Maui Food Bank Development Director Marlene Rice told the Post.
Bezos' spokesperson also noted that the Amazon founder and his bride lent a helicopter to the Maui Fire Department, which shared a “big mahalo” on Instagram.
The department said Bezos and Sanchez made a “very generous offer” to allow firefighters to use their aircraft during wildfires on Maui in August and September.
“Helicopters provide critical transportation for our essential workers to get to Lanai and Molokai to serve their communities, fill the gap created by changes to the Lanai Ferry schedule, and provide these We have ensured that we can provide uninterrupted service to our communities.” Instagram post Said.
The newspaper has contacted the fire department for comment.
A spokesperson for Mr. Bezos told the Post that in the five months since the Hawaiian town of Lahaina was destroyed by fire, Mr. Bezos and Mr. Sanchez had actually pledged $15.5 million of the $100 million to Maui. He admitted that he only donated money.
But the remaining $84.5 million “will be distributed over the next few years as ongoing needs become clearer,” as the pair said in their first post about the pledge in August.
Shep Gordon, a Hollywood talent manager who has called Hawaii home for more than 50 years, told the Post: [Bezos and Sanchez] Over the years since I've been on Maui, they've been funding so many organizations very quietly. ”
“I don't know the details, but I do know…what they're doing and what Oprah is doing is unparalleled,” said Gordon, also a wealthy part-time resident of Maui who donates her time and support. He added, citing Oprah Winfrey, who gave it to him. Wildfire evacuees in makeshift shelters as wildfires rage across the island over the summer.
“They've really focused their resources and energy on helping Maui,” Gordon said of Bezos and Sanchez.
“I think the story was really unfair,” he added of Bloomberg's coverage of the billionaire's philanthropy, calling him “ambiguous about future giving.”
said Maui County Council President Alice Lee. time magazine He said recovery efforts on Hawaii's second-largest island have been “painstakingly slow” because of the time it takes to wade through miles of ashes.
After the fire claimed 36 lives and left hundreds injured and homeless, Bezos and Sanchez also announced funding to create a tuition-free preschool in Lahaina. “This is funded by the Bezos Day One Fund, not the Maui Fund,” the company spokesperson added.
According to Lahaina Day One Academy. Website, an opening date has not yet been announced. Once the school is ready for the session, eligible Her 3-year-olds and Her-4-year-olds will be selected through a lottery process.
“Jeff and Lauren remain personally involved,” the spokesperson said.
This sentiment is contradicted by a Thursday Bloomberg article that quoted Trisha Kehaulani Watson, vice president of the Native Hawaiian nonprofit organization Aina Momona. Watson said her organization has not yet received any funding, and she does not know the names of anyone in her network. Nonprofits receive 10 cents from Bezos.
At least six nonprofits working on the island after the fires, including the Maui United Way and the Maui People's Fund, also told Bloomberg that they had not received funds from Mr. Bezos and Mr. Sanchez.
Some speculated to the outlet that the money might have gone to the Hawaii Community Foundation, which has raised more than $177 million for the Maui Strong Fund, but a representative for that organization told Bloomberg However, he said he had “no information” about Bezos' pledge. .
