MĀLAMA KULA | Disaster Relief & Community Support

Since Sunday, weʻve activated multiple wood chipper, chainsaw, and equipment crews who are currently canvassing properties throughout Kula, helping with downed trees and storm damage across 50+ properties across Kula. * We coordinated a deployment of @teamrubicon sawyers who helped successfully open Alae Rd, providing road access to 22 residences, including multiple residents with medical issues, and a family trapped in their home with a 6 day old baby.  * We coordinated an emergency cleanup of Fun 2 3 preschool and Haleakala Waldorf School to prioritize a safe environment for our keiki. * Weʻre coordinating with @hawaiidot to provide drop sites for tree limbs cleared from Kekaulike Hwy, so road crews can focus on clearing roadways, rather than transporting material to the landfill. * Weʻve recycled downed tree branches into mountains of wood chips, which are being delivered free of charge through our Kula Wood Chip Distribution Program. * Weʻve staged multiple community green waste bins at locations throughout Kula to provide residents with FREE drop-off for storm damaged green waste. Mahalo to @malama_maui_nui for adding a bin at Kula Lodge!  * Weʻve been in direct contact with @maui_ema and Dept. of Public Works, inbounding reports of damage to roadways and helping coordinate cleanup crews.  * Weʻre coordinating with @mauoil to provide non-ethanol fuel to sawyer teams and residents to keep saws humming during cleanup.  Weʻre going door-to-door, checking in on each other, clearing trees off of houses, water tanks, vehicles, and activating and mobilizing resources—not waiting for help, but being the help, when our community needs it the most. We can only accomplish all of this thanks to YOUR community donations, which provide us with flexible, unrestricted funding, and allow us to mobilize on a momentʻs notice, and practice the hyper self-reliance we espouse and put into action. Mahalo, Kula, for all the support, and send us a DM or email if you need help—weʻll all get through this, together. #MalamaKula #DisasterRelief #CommunitySupport #konastorm #kula

Real talk for a second This entire response these last couple of weeks has been built on donations and trust Ever since the fire in 2023, weʻve spent our days tirelessly showing up for our neighbors at time when they needed it the most Doing the hard work. Staying humble. Not waiting for help—just being the help We held community potlucks, social events, community work days, community meetings, just fostering, building, & stowing away trust that was built over years of hard work The goal was to silently build those relationships, & shape them & mold them by simply showing up, executing & staying true to our word, & being there every single time If disaster ever struck our community again, the hope was that people wouldnʻt feel alone, & theyʻd know there was someone they could call on And you know what? They did. Over, and over, & over again, the calls, emails, texts, & messages flooded in from Upper Kimo Drive to the flooded streets of Keokea People were stuck and trapped in their homes; their driveways were blocked, or in some cases, gone. Roads were strewn with utility lines, & rivers raged where they never had before Just like after the 2023 Fire, we didnʻt take time to assess, or ask for help. We grabbed our rain jackets, trucks, & saws, and immediately went out to help But hereʻs the honest truth, though. We couldnʻt do this without you. While we do receive some County funding, the majority of Mālama Kulaʻs budget is funded by philanthropy & donations Unrestricted, community-sourced funding allows us to remain nimble & flexible in our response, & mobilize our teams & crews within hours, when our neighbors need it the most It might look like WE made this whole response happen, but the truth is that really, YOU did! If it werenʻt for our generous community supporters, we never would have been able to jump into action, & respond with the speed, integrity, & care, that our island community deserves. MAHALO to everyone thatʻs been part of this cleanup—we definitely still have a long way to go, but weʻll get there when we do it together Your donations directly fuels our ability to show up within hours when the next call comes in. 🔗 bio

Today was RED Day — and we spent it exactly where we needed to be. 🔴🤝 We partnered with Mālama Kula, the incredible nonprofit that has been on the ground in Kula since the August 8, 2023 wildfire scorched over 200 acres and destroyed 20 homes Upcountry. While the world moved on, they didn’t. Thousands of volunteers, over a million pounds of debris cleared, and a community slowly healing — that’s Mālama Kula. RED Day is Keller Williams’ annual day of service — every second Thursday of May, we step away from business and show up for the communities we serve. This year, showing up meant showing up for Kula. 🌺 Want to help? Reach out to Kyle at Mālama Kula 👇 🌐 malamakula.org 📧 [email protected] Because real estate is about more than homes — it’s about the community those homes belong to. 💚 #REDDay #KellerWilliams #MalamaKula #MauiStrong #KulaFire GiveWhereYouLive MauiRealEstate Upcountry MauiCommunity Maui​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​

Be honest… did the crew understand the assignment? 😂 😝

Missed our past Kūpuna Talk Story events? This is your reminder not to miss the next one. 🌿 Join us for our 6th Kūpuna Talk Story this Monday, May 18, with Paul Mancini as we continue sharing the stories, memories, and history that shaped Upcountry Maui. These nights always leave people saying “I wish I went.” Share it so people know it’s coming up and come experience this one with us. 🤝

Not every donation looks like a donation. Sometimes it looks like your favorite shirt. 🫶🏼 Our Mālama Kula shirts help fund the work happening across Kula while also giving you something you’ll actually use every day — especially under the Maui sun. ☀️ ✔️ Lightweight + comfortable ✔️ Helps protect from sun exposure ⛅️ ✔️ Different colors available 💚🧡🤍❤️ ✔️ New colors dropping soon 👀 🎁 Every shirt helps support ongoing efforts, restoration work, volunteer projects, and care for Kula community. Wear the mission. Support the movement. 🤝 Order yours through our website. Link in bio 🔗 **Currently sold out of Large in all colors 😭** #malamakula #merch #longsleeveshirt #comingsoon #kula

At Mālama Kula, cleanup work doesn’t end when the immediate emergency is over. Storm and fire debris can continue creating safety hazards for families, neighborhoods, and surrounding land long after the visible damage is gone. That’s why our crews work to remove hazardous material, clear impacted areas, and help restore safe, functional spaces across Kula. Site by site, this work helps families regain peace of mind and communities regain stability. 🌱 Because resilience isn’t only about responding to disaster — it’s about helping people safely move forward afterward. Share this so more people understand the long-term recovery work happening across Kula every week. #malamakula #communitysupport #disasterrelief #kula #maui

This happened in April 😳 We want to share more of what our day-to-day ACTUALLY looks like. Let us know in the comments 👇 if this is something you’d like to see more of. In April alone, our crew was out 5 days a week across Kula: ✅ Clearing storm damage ✅ Reducing hazardous fire fuels ✅ Cleaning properties ✅ Picking up green waste for kūpuna ✅ Delivering free wood chips to residents ✅ Supporting local schools ✅ Turning hazardous debris into resources for erosion control and preschool play areas Since August 2023, Mālama Kula has removed over 2.5 million lbs of dead and downed trees from across Kula and turned them into wood chips. Collectively, those chips can capture 3–4 million lbs of water — or roughly 365,000–485,000 gallons — every time it rains. The hazardous fire fuels surrounding our community can also help be part of the solution to drought and devastating winter floods. One of the ways we do that is through our Kūpuna curbside green waste pickup program — completely free. Why❓ • Helps establish defensible space • Reduces fuel loads • Creates wood chips for erosion control • Because it’s the right thing to do — we respect our elders and care for our neighbors We couldn’t serve the community without YOU supporting the work 🤝 If you want to help us continue showing up every week for Kula, please consider making a donation through the link in our bio 🔗💚 #malamakula #communitysupport #neighborshelpingneighbors #kula #maui

April Community Work days in Kula looked like this 😍 Many hours, one impact: showing up, getting our hands dirty, and giving back to the land and community. Between @rcumaui @ppm_hawaii @mauinuibg and our amazing local Kula community, we were able to: 🌿 Plant over 100 native plants and vetiver plants in areas that burned in the Kula Fire (kukui, koa, ti, maile, and ʻōhiʻa! 🙌) 🪏Remove 67 wheelbarrows of cinder form a fishpond that was filled in runoff from the Kēōkea flood. 🚗 Clear one drainage underneath a State Highway, while simultaneously clearing a small gulch of branches, burned wood, debris, and invasive weeds! 🪾Scatter three dump trucks of wood chips to stabilize soils on properties that burned in the 2023 fire as well as the 2026 flood. Grateful for every single person who came through, and continued to serve our Kula community—we’re making it happen together!

This ʻōhiʻa is very special… We planted it in February 2024 with @treecoverylahaina as part of the first batch of native trees going back into the Kula burn zone—right along the property lines of homes that burned. This week, AFTER 2.5+ YEARS of work—dirt, sweat, floods, and everything in between—it finally bloomed 🙌 Yellow ʻōhiʻa mamo. 💛 It’s a reminder that all of this is worth it 🙏🏼 Over the last two years, that’s looked like: • 500+ native plants in the ground • Thousands of vetiver for erosion control • Food-producing trees and crops like citrus, avocado, and ʻuala • Tens of thousands of invasive plants removed from burned, disturbed soil. Exciting projects ahead from within the Kula burn zone as well as numerous other Kula gulches! 😉 Want to be a part of it? Come join our community workday tomorrow from 9 AM to 12 PM‼️🙌 @treecoverylahaina

Pretty wild how this Talk Story took us back visually and emotionally to old Upcountry Maui. Incredible hearing Curtis share his life story and the legacy he has built through 500+ original paintings of Maui, especially Upcountry. His work has become a living archive of what Maui once was, what still remains, and the stories beneath all the change. Each painting captures a moment in time and preserves a piece of the place. It was powerful hearing about his work, inspiration, impact, and the family legacy behind it all. It was a very special evening where we learned so much—you had to be there. So grateful to all the incredible neighbors who came to listen, learn, and build community together. Great turnout, and we couldn’t do it without everyone who attended, shared the event, and helped spread the word. Mahalo to Lahaina Brewing Co. Upcountry for making space and donating. Next Kūpuna Talk Story is Monday, May 18. Save this so you remember, and share it so more people can come be part of it. #malamakula #communitysupport #communityevent #kula #curtiscost

Help us do what we do best: get our hands dirty and support our neighbors. Community Work Day 🕘 Saturday, May 2nd | 9am–12pm 📍 Meeting point: Kula Marketplace upper parking lot (15200 Haleakalā Hwy) DM to sign up. Be the person that shows up and helps their neighbors. We need more of that. 😃 See you this Saturday 👍 #malamakula #volunteer #communitysupport #neighborshelpingneighbors #kula