MINNEAPOLIS — A local fundraiser for Maui disaster relief sold out all of its tickets within 10 hours, according to organizers, as Minnesotans rush to offer aid to an island devastated by wildfires.
The owners of two Hawaiian restaurants in the Twin Cities — Chris Ikeda of Pau Hana in Savage and Warren Seta of Ono Hawaiian Plates in Minneapolis — are teaming up to host a special luau next Monday, Aug. 21, at the Ono Hawaiian Plates location in the North Loop Galley on Washington Avenue. All proceeds from the event will go toward disaster relief.
"I knew from our network that we'd have people that want to support and want to help, but I never imagined the response that we are having right now," Ikeda said. "My phone is ringing off the hook with tons of calls."
Although the luau is sold out, Ikeda said the restaurants are encouraging people to donate to the Maui Food Bank, one of the organizations helping to coordinate relief efforts on the island.
Ikeda himself grew up in Minneapolis but spent a decade working on the Big Island in Hawaii.
"Friends and family are still out there on the Big Island. Most of my friends on Maui are OK, but that's not the case for a lot of people," Ikeda said. "It's heart-wrenching. It's a feeling of helplessness... to see the entire city [of Lahaina] just decimated in such a short period of time, the stories coming out, it's overwhelming, to be honest with you."
Ikeda and Seta have a joint post on Instagram with more information on the Maui Food Bank.
Meanwhile, more than $22 million has been raised so far for Maui through GoFundMe pages. According to the site, 175,000 donors have made contributions from more than 100 different countries. Minnesotans specifically have donated $225,000 via GoFundMe.
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