Volunteers setting up the War Memorial for aid distribution to the community
HFIA MEMBERS SUPPORTING MAUI
I n times of crisis those who are not directly impacted often wonder: What can we do? How can we help? For HFIA Members the answer can be simple, send food. In the aftermath of the tragic fires in Lahaina our members sprang into action in a wide range of ways, first and foremost ensuring that people who had been affected by the fires had access to food and water. SHOWING UP FAST HAWAII FOODSERVICE ALLIANCE (HFA) Chad Buck, CEO of HFA, is a senior advisor to Governor Green and they were commu- nicating about the fire before daylight on August 9th. By then it was already clear that they would need to mobilize and move aid to Lahaina as soon as possible. HFA imme- diately embedded with Mayor Bissen and Maui County Emergency Operation Com- mand while HFA Maui operations loaded trucks with food, water, and aid and headed into Lahaina while the fire still burned. The first loads rolled into west Maui that
Chad shared the personal impact this tragedy has had on his employees, and their dedication to serving their community even in the wake of tremendous personal loss. “We have five staff members on our Maui Team who lost their family homes in the fires. All five showed up for work the morning af- ter. One of our staff members showed up in his socks because that is how he ran out of his house before his home was engulfed in flames. All five team members showed up because they knew that there was an enor- mous need for support in the communities of west Maui and upcountry and they knew that HFA would be the one delivering and coordinating aid across the island.” As the response and recovery moves for- ward HFA has continued to provide their ex- pertise. On week three, the State and Maui County secured the former Safeway and former Lowe’s facilities in Kahului to use for a distribution center and warehouse for sup- plies coming in to aid Maui. HFA’s operations and engineering teams cleared, prepped,
afternoon at 2:55PM and the first distribution center was set up near the receiving area at the Ritz Carlton in Kapalua since it was a safe distance from the active fires and the move- ment of smoke and ash. During the Lahaina blockade HFA worked with the Maui Police Department who escorted truck convoys through the blockade to expedite the move- ment of aid to those in need. In recent years HFA has been involved in providing assistance after many of our state’s crisis, but Chad described what made the Maui fires different. “While we served through hurricane Iselle, floods, landslides, and the pandemic, nothing we have wit- nessed or supported in the past comes close to the Maui wildfires. The level of devastation and loss of life that took place in a matter of hours was difficult if not impossible to get your head around. We were connected to staff members from multiple rescue crews across Lahaina, so we continued to witness and hear about the heart-breaking stories of death, destruction and loss.”
18 | HAWAII FOOD INDUSTRY MAGAZINE | WINTER 2023–2024
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