Special Edition: Hope in Hawaii

Hi all! We're coming to you with a special edition of the newsletter in light of the wildfires. Here's what we'll cover:

• What started the deadly fires .
• What Convoy of Hope is doing to provide relief.
• Ways that you can make a difference today.

One mile every minute

Early on August 8, a brush fire sparked in the town of Lahaina, but officials declared it contained. Around 3:30 p.m., a fire sparked again and spread quickly, too quickly for some to respond. Hawaii Gov. Josh Green says multiple elements, like dry grass and strong passing winds from Category 4 Hurricane Dora , fueled the flames. The fire moved extremely fast — a mile a minute .

The death toll has reached 106 . That number is expected to rise as responders continue to find and identify victims.

Hope on the ground

Convoy of Hope immediately began communicating with partners on the ground in Maui, Hawaii, and prepared relief supplies for delivery. Once on the ground, teams started distributing essential supplies like, food, water, sports drinks, hygiene items, and more. Convoy teams met with Lt. Gov. Sylvia Luke to hear about the greatest needs and how Convoy can help.

With help from partners like The Home Depot Foundation and SPAM , Convoy is managing locally donated supplies alongside local church partners. Many of the donated supplies are coming from Convoy's new Regional Distribution Center in Sacramento, California — meaning a faster arrival time.

Join the response

On World Humanitarian Day this Friday, find a way to give back to those impacted by the Hawaii wildfires. Check out our tips on choosing trustworthy charities and how you can be sure you're making a difference.

Learn more and join Convoy's response here .

We'll be back to our weekly updates on Monday! Let us know how we can make our newsletter better at [email protected].