Oprah Winfrey and Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson established a recovery fund for individuals who lost their homes in the Maui wildfires in an Instagram video posted Thursday.
The two celebrities contributed $10 million to get the campaign started, and they are urging the public to join them.
“We have created the People’s Fund of Maui, which will put money directly in the hands of the people who need it right now,” Winfrey stated, noting that individuals who lost their primary residences in the Lahaina and Kula fires are eligible for $1200 each month. This comprises both homeowners and renters.
Winfrey said the idea for the foundation came from reading an article about Dolly Parton supporting her neighborhood.
“It’s a clean direct from you to their hands, and it’s right away with some real immediacy,” Johnson noted.
The monies will be disbursed “each month for as long as members of our community are still in need and as long as the funds last,” according to the fund’s website, where individuals may both donate and ask for aid. “Residents of Maui should decide what recovery looks like for themselves, their families, and their community,” the site says.
“People being able to have their own agency, being able to make decisions for themselves about what they need and what their family needs—that’s our goal—is to get that to the people now,” Winfrey said in their video message.
Source: (CNN,2023)
