Rotary Club of Lahaina and our foundation the Lahaina Rotary Youth Foundation, worked with project Kokua to help raise almost $40,000 for relief efforts on both the islands of Hawaii and Kauai.
Maui’s finest chefs organized a culinary fundraiser to support Kaua‘i and Hawai‘i Island neighbors, friends, family and farmers suffering from damage from the recent natural disasters on both islands. Project Kōkua for Kaua‘i & Hawaiʻi Island took place at Maui Tropical Plantation (Grand View Lawn) on Sunday, July 8th.
 
Project Kōkua evolved through the efforts of Chef Lyndon Honda, Executive Chef at Sheraton Maui Resort & Spa, along with Lisa & Halemanu Villiarimo. Lisa is the Owner of Aloha Lifestyle, a lifestyle and food consulting company and entertainer. Halemanu is a recent 2018 Na Hoku Hanohano Award winner for Island Music Album of the Year.
 
“Hawai‘i is a unique place – though not connected by land, we are connected in our aloha, our desire to want to help one another and our way of life. In a time like this, we all come together to kōkua where we are able,” said Honda.
 
And for chefs, what better way to help than through a shared love of food? Project Kōkua for Kaua‘i & Hawaiʻi Islandgave guests a delicious sampling of dishes by top chefs and restaurants from across the island of Maui. Over 300 tickets at $60 per person, which included chef tasting stations and entertainment by Halemanu Villiarimo, were sold. The evening also featured a silent auction, which together with ticket sales, raised almost $40,000 towards relief efforts distributed through the Lahaina Rotary Youth Foundation and Rotary Club of Lahaina to Malama Kaua‘i and Rotary Club of Pahoa. 
 
In April 2018, Kaua‘i was hit with disastrous flooding. The livelihoods of many residents were greatly affected as flash floods tore through the land, causing chaos and devastation. Many homes, businesses, schools & farms were demolished, leaving thousands without power and water for days.  On Hawaii Island, lava eruptions from Kilauea volcano continue to ravage the eastern side of the island, with over 600 homes destroyed and countless residents left without shelter, as well as devastation to land, crops, and businesses.